Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of Kuki tribes, on Saturday said the community would not engage in peace talks with the BJP government in the state.

In a statement, the KIM said it was “appalled by the misleading remarks” of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh “suggesting the government will hold peace talks with representatives of the Kuki-Zo people, falsely implying that all Kuki-Zo people are open to negotiations for peace and reconciliation within the ambit of the Manipur state government”.

Last month, Singh had said in Imphal that parleys between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities had started but the claim was contested by the Kuki Students’ Organisation a day later.

On August 1, representatives from the warring Meitei and Hmar communities agreed to “make full efforts to bring normalcy” in Jiribam district by preventing “incidents of arson and firing” at a meeting arranged by the Jiribam administration. However, the apex body of the Hmars — Hmar Inpui — later declared the agreement null and void.

In mid-June, during a review of the security situation in Manipur in Delhi, Union home minister Amit Shah had said his ministry would engage with both Meiteis and Kukis to bridge the ethnic divide but the move is yet to fructify.

The KIM statement comes a day after Singh’s cabinet colleague Letpao Haokip, who belongs to the Kuki community, publicly distanced himself from a 12-member committee set up by the Assembly to investigate the influx of illegal immigrants.

Haokip had said, “I have neither any knowledge about my appointment nor given my consent” to the committee constituted by the Assembly secretary on August 7 “mentioning my name as one of the members”.

In its statement, the KIM said the Kuki-Zos resolutely stand against engaging “in any negotiation with our persecutors — the Manipur state government, responsible for engineering the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kuki-Zo people”.

It also revealed that the organisation had “declined the invitation” of the chairman of the Hill Area Committee, Manipur, Dinganglung Gangmei, for talks, stating that the Kuki-Zos “no longer have ties with the Manipur state government”, which have “challenged the core of our history and identity and have threatened our existence” in the ongoing conflict.

Sources said the Kuki-Zos would not engage with Singh because of “trust issues” nor back down from its demand for a separate administration.

The Meiteis are against the bifurcation of the state and seek stern action against illegal immigrants and narco-terrorists from Myanmar, who they feel have fuelled the conflict that erupted on May 3 last year, leaving at least 226 dead and over 60,000 displaced.

Asserting “non-engagement” with the BJP-led Manipur government as its “firm resolve”, the KIM said it would also “remain resolute” in its demand for a “Union Territory with Legislative Powers” as the “only justice” for Kuki-Zos and that it has not given any individual or organisation “the mandate to represent Kuki-Zo people in discussions or negotiations with the Manipur state government”.

“Our commitment to securing justice for our people remains foremost and steadfast,” the KIM said.

The Opposition Congress, which has five MLAs in the House of 60, has decided to boycott the remaining session of the Assembly ending August 12 after the Speaker rejected a private members’ resolution to hold a thorough discussion on the ongoing conflict.

On Wednesday, A. Bimol Akoijam, first-time Congress MP from Inner Manipur, had reminded the BJP-led Centre that it “has a historical, political, moral and legal responsibility to defend Manipur”, which is in turmoil.

Raising the Jiribam issue in the Lok Sabha, Akoijam urged the Centre to take stern action against divisive, communal forces that have wreaked havoc in the state and also protect the properties of the internally displaced people.