TMB Report
Imphal: Apropos to the press statement of Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) issued on March 12 wherein its Information Secretary mentioned Thadous in relation to the protest rally held on March 10, Thadou Inpi – General Head-quarters, the apex body of the Thadou tribe contended that Kuki Inpi has no moral or legal authority to speak for and on behalf of Thadous and as a matter of fact, Thadou Inpi has never asked or authorised KIM to make such a statement on behalf of Thadous. Thadou Inpi in a press release issued by its Secretary General stated that as per Thadou Conclave Declaration 2015 Thadou Inpi and Thadou tribe is not a part of the Kuki Inpi and this had been publicised on several occasions.
It clarified that Thadou Inpi was not consulted and had no knowledge or anything to do with it and that whether some Thadou individuals took part in the rally is an individual matter and it was not representative of the Thadou Inpi or Thadou tribal community.
Kuki Inpi should stop interfering in the affairs of Thadou community. They must not make any statement on behalf of Thadous but exercise due diligence and mutual-respect. If there is a need to make any statement for an on behalf of Thadou community, Thadou Inpi will do so, not by KIM or any other unauthorized organisation, it stated.
Thadou Inpi believes in communal harmony, dialogue and peaceful resolution to any issues within the ambit of the constitution and laws of the land. Also, KIM needs to be reminded that just as it is the apex body of the any Kuki tribe, Thadou Inpi is the apex body of Thadou tribe, which had been duly recognized by the Government of India as a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur since 1956, the year when the process of recognition of all the indigenous tribes of Manipur was completed.
Whether there is a need for a new tribe after all indigenous tribes of Manipur had been duly recognised is for the State Government and the whole Manipuri society to critically think about especially at this critical juncture, it added.
