Amit Shah to hold crucial meeting with apex Kuki Zo tribal group on Monday

 Amit Shah to hold crucial meeting with apex Kuki Zo tribal group on Monday

New Delhi 

In order to help bring normalcy in violence-hit Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will hold a crucial meeting with an apex body of Kuki and Zo tribes on Monday, August 7 in the national capital.

This will be a "groundbreaking meeting" as so far the Kuki Zo leaders aggrieved by the violence in Manipur were reluctant to meet any central leader or representative from the Biren Singh led ministry in Manipur.

The community leaders will be meeting Shah on behalf of the influential Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), sources said. 

The ITLF leaders were reportedly still reluctant to respond positively to the invitation. "However, there was timely intervention from Mizoram chief minister and MNF chief Zoramthanga and now the meeting will take place on Monday," an MNF source said.

It has been stated that on receipt of the invitation from the Home Ministry, the ITLF leaders held a day long confabulation in Aizawl on Saturday and unable to reach consensus they called on Chief Minister Zoramthanga. "Our respected Zoramthanga is a fatherly figure...he has guided us in the past and it was natural to seek his advice. Now we have decided the meeting will take place in Delhi with Mr Amit Shah," the source said.

In fact, the ITLF delegation already left Aizawl on Sunday morning to attend the meeting which incidentally comes a day before Lok Sabha will take up the No Confidence motion tabled and by Congress against the Modi government.

Sources said a mega clash between Kukis and Meiteis was thwarted on Aug 3 in Imphal due to intervention of Chief Minister Zoramthanga. The row was kicked off over burial of 35 Kuki Zo tribals when Meiteis allegedly raised some objections.

Mr Amit Shah held a meeting with a NPP delegation of Manipur legislators in Delhi on Aug 4. On their return NPP MLA Sheikh Noorul Hassan said at Khongnangkhong in Manipur that the Home Minister assured them that territorial integrity of Manipur will be maintained.

The Kuki Zo tribals had earlier passed resolution and held a massive rally at Aizawl last month demanding creation of Greater Mizoram by spliting parts of Manipur. For obvious reasons Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh did not approve such demands and accused veteran Zoramthanga of interfering in internal matters of Manipur state. 

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(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books 'The Talking Guns: North East India',  

and 'Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth'. Views expressed are personal)