Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran has announced that the party would hold a protest on 7 May against the Centre for the Manipur violence.

Sudhakaran said that people in Manipur were living peacefully till the time the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. He added that the BJP and the Meitei community were behind the riots, while the Kuki and other Christian tribes were the victims.

A large part of the Meitei community follows Hinduism, while the remainder follows the traditional religion, Sanamahism.

According to some political commentators, this move of the Congress is to counter the BJP’s recent outreach to Christians in Kerala.

BJP leaders from the state had then said that the Modi government's development work in the Northeast in Christian-dominated states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram has made a good impression on the community.

The protests erupted as a result of a High Court order asking the State government to submit recommendations to the Centre on the plea seeking recognition of ST Status by the majority Meitei community of the state, represented by the Meitei Tribe Union (MTU).

In response to the order, the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) and other tribal bodies organised ‘Tribal Solidarity Marches’ and widespread protests across the states, opposing the HC order.

The Meitei community, who are mostly Hindus by faith, constitute around 53 per cent of the population of the State and inhabit the valley and the plains.

The Kuki and the Naga tribes, mostly Christians, constitute about 30 per cent and 15 per cent of the population of the State, respectively, and mostly occupy the hill districts.

The Meiteis have always had a longstanding demand for over ten years seeking ST status, alleging that unchecked widespread illegal migration from the neighbouring states of the tribes has led to an unreasonable encroachment on state property and reservation benefits to them, along with an increasing threat to its culture, faith and society.

The Kuki and Naga tribes, on the other hand, contest that the reservations are essential for them considering the dominance of the majority Meitei community in legislature and other important offices and professions.

Amidst this existing ethnic fault line, and in the backdrop of recent evictions of the Kuki tribes by the state authorities claiming illegal encroachment of forest areas, the tensions were heightened by the High Court order, leading to widespread violence, riots, and arson.

Also Read: Manipur Unrest: Contemporary Reasons Behind The Turmoil

Manipur riots

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