By Alex Guite
LAMKA, November 14: The Kuki State Demand Committee, KSDC today called a press conference at the Kuki Innpi Churachandpur, Tuibuang CCPur, and issued a press release saying that the proposed blockade of national and state highways passing through Kuki inhabitant area will now be deferred in public interest.
The blockade will now commence from 5pm of November 17, it said.
One of the reasons is the celebration of the `Ningol Chakouba` festival that is a major festival of Manipur, the press hand out said.
The blockade will be in effect along the Imphal-Ukhrul, Tamenglong/Jeribam, Moreh, Chandel, Senapati and Churachandpur roads, it continued.
The organization had also resolve to proceed with the band indefinitely i.e till the Govt. of India provide a written assurance that political dialogue between the govt. of India and the Kuki people represented by the KSDC and Kuki militant organizations presently under SoO agreement will begin on a predetermine date to deliberate on Kuki political demand for a separate statehood.
The KSDC further resolved that if the Govt did not heed to the democratic demand of the Kuki people then it will launch `Quite Kuki Land` movement against India.
Secretary of the KSDC, Banzamin Mate made a clarification on the proposed Kuki state map which appeared on some local dailies which din`t reflect the Kuki territories fully but also include many part of Saddar hillsChandel and CCPur autonomous district where not less than 350 Kuki villages were evicted.
He stated that together with numerous existing village covering substantial chunk of land in this three district form traditional Kuki territories that exist long even before the birth of Indian State.
On question relating to the feasibility of creating the kuki state, the secretary of KSDC replied that their demand is just taking into account that the Kuki is the second largest community in the N.E india region and are next only to the Assamese and since the demand is supported and is in the interest of all the kuki chief, who traditionally are also the ruler among the Kukis.
The demand also was justified as the Kuki are oppress from the past two decades during which the Kukis have scattered in many parts of the state and it will be a home coming for all the Kuki where they will no longer be oppressed by anyone.
The KSDC`s secretary refuted the claim of the Home Minister of Manipur when he said that there will be no decision to bifurcate the state of Manipur as just a political compulsion.