Imphal: The Coordination Committee (CorCom), an umbrella body of six banned valley-based insurgent groups, has rejected the idea of creating communal or ethnic homelands in Manipur, arguing that such divisions are unsustainable and detrimental to the state’s future.
In a statement issued by its Media Coordinator, M. Shak-Hen, on the outfit’s 15th Foundation Day on July 8, CorCom said peaceful coexistence, rather than segregation, is the foundation of a progressive society. It urged all communities in Manipur (Kangleipak) to move beyond communal thinking and avoid deepening ethnic divisions, warning that identity-based politics would ultimately harm all indigenous communities.
The committee also conveyed greetings to the people of Manipur, various revolutionary organisations, and communities across the WESEA (West South East Asia) region, while paying tribute to those it described as martyrs of the liberation movement.
CorCom used the occasion to reiterate its long-standing political position on India’s history and nationhood. The outfit alleged that India was formed on the territorial framework created during British colonial rule and claimed that several erstwhile independent kingdoms including Manipur, Hyderabad, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, and Sikkim were incorporated into the Indian Union through military action.
It further alleged that New Delhi has historically viewed the Northeast as a strategic frontier and criticised the prolonged deployment of security forces and the enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), claiming the law contravenes international legal norms.
The insurgent coalition also criticised the government’s economic and development policies, alleging they combine majoritarian politics with capitalist interests. It expressed concern over the Manipur government’s memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Patanjali Foods Limited and Godrej Agrovet for large-scale oil palm cultivation under the National Mission on Edible Oils–Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
According to CorCom, around 66,652 hectares across six districts have been identified for oil palm plantations. The outfit claimed that large-scale expansion of the crop could lead to severe ecological damage, citing environmental concerns associated with oil palm cultivation in Indonesia and Malaysia.
It further alleged that indigenous communities had not provided their free, prior and informed consent for the proposed expansion and warned that forests and agricultural land could face irreversible degradation.
CorCom is an umbrella organisation comprising six proscribed insurgent groups: the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), PREPAK (Progressive), the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), the political wing of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF).