The Kuki Human Rights Council and the Kuki-Zo Council have strongly reacted to the induction of Kuki-Zo legislators into the newly formed Manipur government, stating that the move undermines the longstanding demand for a Separate Administrative (SA) arrangement for the Kuki-Zo people.
In a statement, the Kuki Human Rights Council said the induction of Kuki MLAs, including the appointment of Nemcha Kipgen as Deputy Chief Minister, reflected a partisan approach by the Centre and was aimed at weakening the collective political aspiration of the Kuki community. The council maintained that forming a government without addressing the core political demand of the Kuki people posed a serious challenge to tribal democratic principles and ignored decades of marginalisation, socio-economic neglect and cultural insecurity. It reiterated that a separate administration, either as a state or a Union Territory, was the only viable means to safeguard Kuki rights and identity, while asserting that the Kuki and Meitei communities stand historically and territorially divided.
The Kuki-Zo Council, in a separate statement, recalled that its governing council meeting held on December 30, 2025 had unanimously resolved that the Kuki-Zo people would not participate in the formation of the Manipur government in view of violence, atrocities and enforced physical separation. The position, it said, was reaffirmed at the Lungthu Meeting held in Guwahati on January 13, 2026, involving Suspension of Operations groups and Kuki-Zo MLAs, which decided against participation in government without a written assurance on the political demand for separate administration.
The KZC stated that it continues to stand by this collective decision and clarified that any Kuki-Zo MLA joining the government would be doing so in an individual capacity, without the council’s endorsement. It urged elected representatives to respect the unity, collective will and political aspirations of the Kuki-Zo people.