The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has directed Kuki villages within the jurisdiction of Ukhrul and Kamjong to refrain from putting up any provocative signage and not to comply with the order to pay hill house tax to the authority in Kangpokpi as instructed by Kuki CSO Working Committee Ukhrul and Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) Ukhrul.
The press statement issued by RS. Jollyson, Vice President of TNL stated that “the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has taken serious exception to the recent directives issued by the Working Committee of Kuki CSOs Ukhrul (WCKCSO) ordering its Kuki villages in Ukhrul and Kamjong to pay hill house tax to Kangpokpi, and subsequently by the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO), Ukhrul District, instructing its Kuki villages to put up signage identifying themselves as being part of “Kangpokpi District.” The instructions as such issued by self-styled Kuki organisations are totally irresponsible, unconstitutional and highly provocative in times of the prevailing volatile situation.
“The TNL asserts hereby that the ancestral lands and traditional jurisdictions in respect of Ukhrul and Kamjong strictly belong to the indigenous Tangkhul Naga people. Our historical ownership predates any present fabricated narratives being imposed by the Kukis. No student body, civil organisation or extra-constitutional entity has the power to alter territorial classifications, issue coercive directives or create parallel administrative structures through intimidation and threats.”
The press statement further added that “it must also be stated that till today the Nagas in Manipur under the United Naga Council (UNC) have been pressing for the rollback of the unconstitutional creation of seven (7) districts in December 2016, which arbitrarily bifurcates the Naga ancestral land without prior consent or consultation from the landowners. As such, the Nagas do not recognise Kangpokpi as a district but an administrative part of Senapati.
“Thus, the provocative directives issued by the WCKCSOs and the KSO constitute a direct challenge to the owners of the land, and this arbitrary move will never be taken lightly.
“In view of the matter as stated above, the TNL hereby direct all Kuki villages within the jurisdiction of Ukhrul and Kamjong to refrain from putting up any provocative signage and not to comply with the order to pay hill house tax to the authority in Kangpokpi. Any defiance to this directive would escalate the volatile situation in an already fragile State of Manipur” added the press statement of TNL.
