Imphal, May 26: Hundreds of Kuki-Zo men and women poured onto the streets of Kangpokpi in a massive protest rally against what they termed as “fraudulent and politically motivated allegations” levelled against Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen by the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee (FNCC) and Manipur Naga Youth Organisation (MNYO), accusing the two groups of acting as “mouthpieces of radical anti-peace elements” seeking to destabilise the BJP-led Popular Government in Manipur.
The peaceful protest rally commenced from Nute Kailhang in downtown Kangpokpi and marched through National Highway-2 towards uptown Kangpokpi amid heavy sloganeering and public participation.
Protesters raised slogans such as, “Stop False Allegations Against Pi Nemcha Kipgen,” “Defaming the Deputy CM is Defaming BJP Leadership,” and “Stop Being Mouthpieces of Radical Valley Elements.”
The core message of the protest centred on allegations that the accusations levelled against Nemcha Kipgen were part of a larger conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by the FNCC and MNYO to topple the present popular government in the state. The demonstrators appealed to both the Central and State Governments, as well as the BJP leadership, to intervene urgently and take strict action against what they described as “fly-by-night organisations” accused of spreading communal hatred, division and misunderstanding among communities.
On the sidelines of the protest, a woman protester Chiching strongly condemned the allegations against the Deputy Chief Minister and accused the FNCC and MNYO of attempting to prolong the present complicated situation through fraudulent allegations of fund misappropriation against the Deputy Chief Minister.
Questioning the intent behind the allegations, she said it was shameful for the organisations to level charges against “one of the very few tribal MLAs in the country” to be recognised as a “COVID-19 Warrior” during the pandemic and who uphold the image of the tribal communities.
“Is it believable that someone of her stature would risk her hard-earned reputation for something so trivial within such a short span of holding office? If there are doubts, the departments concerned can always be approached for clarification,” she asserted.
She further alleged that the accusations appeared to be politically motivated and aimed not only at Nemcha Kipgen but also at the BJP leadership in Delhi, claiming that certain vested interests within the party structure in the state were attempting to destabilise the popular government.
She also highlighted Dy. CM Nemcha Kipgen’s role in facilitating the release of 21 Tangkhul detainees in Ukhrul following protests over the abduction of two Kuki individuals by Tangkhul militants, who were later found dead.
“Isn’t that proof enough of her integrity and commitment as a people’s leader?” she questioned.
The demonstrators demanded immediate intervention by the Central Government to identify those allegedly working from within to tarnish the image of the BJP and destabilise the government through proxy organisations.
Warning that communal tension and distrust would persist so long as such organisations were allowed to “incite one community against another,” the protesters demanded stringent action against the FNCC and MNYO.
Meanwhile, speakers at the rally asserted that Nemcha Kipgen had joined the popular government after the lifting of President’s Rule despite serious reservations and opposition from within her own constituency, solely to support the BJP’s broader vision of restoring peace, development, stability and communal harmony in violence-hit Manipur.
They alleged that her efforts toward reconciliation and peace-building had instead made her a target of anti-peace forces and vested political interests determined to sabotage every attempt to restore normalcy in the state.
Protesters argued that rather than acknowledging her efforts in preventing escalation of ethnic violence, she had become the target of “systematic political vilification.”
The speakers also referred to the killing of three Church leaders who were allegedly engaged in peace-building initiatives through Churches and inter-community dialogue, terming the murders a direct attack on reconciliation efforts in the state.
“The pattern is becoming increasingly clear — whoever sincerely works for peace, reconciliation and normalcy in Manipur is either targeted, vilified or eliminated,” one speaker alleged.
The protesters described the FNCC and MNYO as “self-styled fly-by-night stooge organisations” allegedly functioning at the behest of vested radical political interests, and accused them of attempting to derail the BJP Central leadership’s efforts to restore peace in the state by selectively targeting senior tribal leaders such as Nemcha Kipgen.
Calling the situation alarming, the rally urged the BJP Central leadership and the Government of India to intervene decisively, identify forces obstructing peace initiatives and take punitive action against organisations allegedly promoting hostility, division and instability under the guise of civil activism.
“If the commitment to restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur is genuine, then those systematically sabotaging reconciliation efforts must be firmly confronted and stopped,” the speakers asserted.
