Undo 2003 NDA blunder with Kuki tribe classification, BJP told

GUWAHATI

Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou community in Manipur, has called on the Bharatiya Janata Party to undo the damage caused by the National Democratic Alliance with the addition of the “Any Kuki Tribe” (AKT) category in the State’s Scheduled Tribes list in 2003.

TIM said the current NDA government must correct the mistake made by the first BJP-led NDA government more than two decades ago “to ensure justice, national security and integrity of Manipur”. The organization had earlier said that foreigners, especially those transiting from Myanmar, were using the “unnecessary” AKT category to get recognized as Scheduled Tribes in India.

“There is a need for a legislative act in Parliament to delete the AKT category, introduced by the NDA government in 2003, from the Manipur list of Scheduled Tribe,” TIM joint general secretary Manggou Thadou said on Friday, after members of the organization presented a memorandum to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders BL Santhosh and Sambit Patra in Imphal on Friday, November 14, 2025.

The TIM team also sought the inclusion of Thadou representatives as legitimate stakeholders in future dialogues, peace talks or government-led negotiating platforms to ensure long-term peace and restore political stability in Manipur. It was stated that Manipur deserves a democratically elected government after a long Presidency, which has been in effect since February 13.

TIM also asserted the distinct ethnic identity of the Thadou community. “Thadou is not Kuki, not under Kuki or part of Kuki, independent of Kuki,” he said.

Manipur is yet to recover from the impact of ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, which has killed over 250 people and displaced over 62,000 since May 3, 2023.