Ukhrul, October 16: On October 8, 2025, several news platforms covered the statement of M Pramot Singh, chief of Meitei Leepun, a socio-cultural organisation, where he said the ML warmly welcomes the Naga Leader Ato Kilonser Thuingaleng Muivah for his homecoming. The statement further said “The beauty of Manipur lies in its diversity, and our shared future depends on preserving that diversity with dignity and respect,”.
The statement described Th. Muivah as “not only a respected leader of the Naga people but an inspirational and visionary figure admired across communities.” It said that allowing his return to his ancestral village after more than five decades was a “wise and compassionate decision”.
In continuation to this statement, our correspondent met with M Pramot Singh in the heart of Manipur. Amid chirping birds, hopping rabbits, ponds filled with lotus flowers, and a lively pack of dogs including a Tangkhul Haofa̱, he calls the “leader of the pack”, and a rescue dog. Pramot Singh revealed an unexpected side of himself: an animal lover with a tender heart beneath a fierce exterior.
Also read | Meitei Leepun welcomes Th. Muivah’s homecoming to Manipur
Our initial encounter was intense, marked by a firm handshake. But as the conversation unfolded, a softer side emerged especially when a puppy wagging his tail, bounded into the room. Singh’s eyes softened as he recounted rescuing the dog from a relief camp where it had been abandoned. Another of his dogs, he shared, had come home once with a serious head injury from an attack. He had shed tears and rushed to get the animal medical attention.
This emotional connection to animals was juxtaposed with walls adorned with portraits of world revolutionaries. Among them, a framed image of Thuingaleng Muivah stood out. Singh opened up with deep reverence.
When asked what was the position of Meitei Leepun during the time when Th. Muivah’s homecoming in 2010 could not take place due to the stand taken by the Ibobi-led Government.
He responded, “Meitei Leepun was established only in 2015,” Singh clarified. “Back then, a minority among us believed Th. Muivah should have been invited to Kanjeibung and allowed to speak to the people directly. But at that time, we didn’t exist formally.”
Sharing his perception of the changing narratives between various communities in Manipur, he said, “Meiteis and Nagas are from this soil. Others are outsiders. We want peaceful co-existence, but only Meiteis and Nagas have the right to decide the land’s future. Even brothers fight over land. If division ever comes, it must be decided by the landowners. Forever, in my eyes, all Kukis are foreigners. Only an NRC will reveal who are Indian Kukis and who are not.”
Singh emphasized that post-2015, Meitei Leepun moved past the Naga issue.
“We think we are brothers. We face the same problems. Outsiders are trying to control us. The future must be decided by Meiteis and Nagas alone.”
Questioning on why he oppose the “Ceasefire Without Territorial Limit” in 2001, and now supports Th. Muivah’s homecoming in 2025, he answered describing Th. Muivah as “not only a respected leader of the Naga people but an inspirational and visionary figure admired across communities.” He said, “He’s a leader who stood firm for over 50 years without changing his stance. That’s rare. We must respect such a leader. He inspires me,” Singh said, gesturing toward the shelf of world leaders portraits kept in his livingroom, he admires. “Before I leave for work, I look at them and tell myself, ‘Let me also have the spirit they have.’”
Also read | Tangkhul Nagas to Accord Grand Welcome to Ato Kilonser Thuingaleng Muivah
Sharing his outlook on Meitei-Naga relations, he said, “It pains me when people say we are ‘neighbours.’ We consider Nagas as brothers. I tell the leaders, let’s change the narrative. We will get closer and closer, because we are facing the same problem.”
Singh narrated an incident at a Community Peace Meeting in Tengoupal, which was meant to include only Meiteis and Nagas. When Kukis and Muslims joined, he walked off the dais.
“I stood up and said, ‘This meeting is to discuss Manipur’s destiny. I will not sit with outsiders.’ I am that kind of fanatic,” he smiled.
He clarified his views on long-settled communities: “Those who came in 1606 as POWs are fine. Let them stay. But they must not bring more people. This applies to Nepalese, Muslims, Kukis. The ones who’ve been here since before 1961, we can live peacefully. But they cannot be the landowners. They are guests. They must follow our traditions and customs.”
He recounted a conversation with a Kuki man who claimed his village was founded in 1917:
“I told him, we don’t know when ours started. We come from this soil, from the fountain, from the tree. You are outsiders. That’s why you know when you came. Even your cemetery stones don’t show anyone dying more than 20 years ago. Your claim is fake.”
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Shifting the focus on the most important conversations of the interview, the Meitei Leepun chief expressed how he would like to welcome Th. Muivah, Ato Kilonser, GPRN. “We have a cloth called Leirum, (Luirim in Tangkhul language). Tangkhuls claim it is theirs, we claim it is ours. I think that is because we are brothers, no? I want to place it on his shoulders and bow down for his blessings. Such a leader may not come again for another hundred years. It would be an honour for me as we are also in a movement for indigenous people.”
Singh’s admiration for steadfast leadership runs deep, as does his belief in a shared indigenous identity between Meiteis and Nagas.
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