Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, OCT 30: The Liangmai Naga Council (LNC) strongly condemned the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU)’s misleading statement.
The apex Liangmai tribe body said the Liangmai community strongly condemned CoTU’s recent statement regarding Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s proposed visit to Senapati district for the Liangmai Chaga Ngee celebrations on October 30. “The statement is both misleading and unacceptable, as CoTU’s claims that the visit is ‘provocative’ or ‘dangerous,’ and its reference to ‘Kuki-majority areas,’ are unfounded”, the LNC said. The LNC said these areas are the ancestral homelands of the Liangmai people and the Nagas—not the Kukis. “Simply erecting stones and creating an invented history does not confer ownership of Liangmai lands to the Kukis. The Chief Minister’s attendance is a rightful recognition of the Liangmai community’s heritage and a gesture of support for cultural unity,” the LNC added.
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The apex Liangmai body then said that “CoTU’s threatening rhetoric appears” to be a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peaceful celebrations of the Liangmai community. “Their efforts not only exacerbate the ongoing crisis between Kukis and Meiteis but also risk drawing the neutral Naga communities into this conflict. Such actions threaten to reopen old wounds and undermine the region’s peace efforts,” the LNC also said.
The LNC then said the Liangmai Nagas, “in whose land Kukis have settled—including areas now known as Kangpokpi district—find CoTU’s threats to be an affront”. The Liangmai apex body further said, “By framing our honored guest, the Chief Minister, as a ‘danger,’ CoTU has acted with utter disrespect toward our cultural heritage and hospitality”.
In contrast, the Naga people, including the Liangmai, have never interfered with Kuki celebrations such as the Kut festival, respecting every group’s right to freely celebrate its culture, the LNC pointed out. CoTU’s actions violate this mutual respect, and such conduct will not be overlooked as we consider our future responses, it added.
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The LNC then said the Chief Minister’s presence at our Chaga Ngee celebration is intended to symbolize unity, inclusivity, and reconciliation—values essential to healing divisions in Manipur. The Liangmai community extended this invitation as an expression of goodwill, respect, and a desire to foster harmony among all communities in the region, it stated.
The LNC statement then said, “As hosts of this significant event, the Liangmai people take immense pride in our tradition of hospitality and will not tolerate any threats to our guests. Such threats violate our customs and undermine the peace that communities across Manipur strive to build”. The LNC also said, “Liangmai community is fully prepared to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of the Chief Minister, affirming our commitment to safeguarding any honored guests visiting Liangmai areas at any time. Any attempt to disrupt this will be seen as an attack on our community and met with an appropriate response”.
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Unfounded accusations against the Chief Minister, attributing past violence to him without credible evidence, are unjust and damaging to ongoing peace efforts, the LNC also said. His presence at the Chaga Ngee festival is aimed at fostering dialogue, mutual respect, and strengthening ties among all communities, it further added.
Furthermore, the LNC said that, with the influx of illegal Kuki immigrants and the unnatural proliferation of villages in Kangpokpi district, the Liangmai and Naga population is increasingly marginalized within their own ancestral lands. The freedom to peacefully celebrate cultural traditions is now jeopardized by the threats from Kuki organizations such as CoTU, the LNC alleged.
The LNC then said, “Liangmai Nagas are deeply hurt by CoTU’s threats against our honored guest during the largest Liangmai cultural festival, Chaga Ngee. Consequently, CoTU will bear full responsibility for any repercussions that arise from their actions against our celebration”.
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