Critics say the KZC press release reflects a dramatic shift in stance, with the organisation now seeking dialogue with the same government and leaders it had earlier accused of betraying the community.
BY PC Bureau
May 25, 2026: The Kuki-Zo leadership seems to have discovered a new survival strategy in Manipur politics: applaud the very authority that ignores your pain, overlook your own missing civilians, and rush to prove your loyalty before the next knock comes at the door.
The latest Kuki-Xo Council press release reads less like a statement of resistance and more like an audition letter for political rehabilitation.
At a time when 14 Kuki-Zo civilians remain missing, allegedly abducted, with families living through unbearable uncertainty, and the community’s demand for an NIA probe effectively thrown into the dustbin, one would have expected the apex body of the community to thunderously demand justice. Instead, what did the public get? A politely worded appreciation note for the Chief Minister.
Yes, appreciation.
“The Kuki-Zo Council also appreciates the initiative of the Chief Minister of Manipur in holding discussions with the United Naga Council (UNC) regarding the prevailing situation,” says the press release jointly signed by KZC Chairman H. Thanglet and General Secretary Thangzamang.
READ: KZC Memo toUnion Home Minister Amit Shah
This is the same Chief Minister who promptly handed over the alleged abduction of Naga civilians to the NIA, yet found no urgency in addressing the Kuki-Zo demand for an NIA probe into the disappearance of their own 14 civilians. Apparently, some victims qualify as a national concern, while others are treated as administrative inconveniences.
One almost has to admire the timing. It takes extraordinary political flexibility to clap for someone while being politically slapped in public.
But the KZC, in its wisdom, decided this was also the perfect moment to plead for talks with the very government it once treated as untouchable.
“However, in the interest of fairness, justice, and balanced governance, we sincerely appeal to the Government to also engage in dialogue with Kuki-Zo leaders. Failure to do so may create a public perception that the Government is listening only to one side of the issue,” the statement added.
The irony is impossible to ignore.
Only days ago, Kuki civil society groups had virtually declared the Chief Minister persona non grata in Kuki areas. The Chief Minister could not even set foot in Churachandpur without triggering outrage. The KZC, Kuki-Inpi and allied organisations had accused MLAs of betraying the community merely for engaging with the government. Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen herself became a symbol of alleged compromise.
And now? Suddenly the same establishment is worthy of praise and “dialogue.”
READ: Bengal Opens First Migrant Holding Centre In Malda
What changed? Who rewrote the script overnight?
The KZC statement raises more questions than it answers. Why this desperate eagerness to appear reasonable before a government that many in the community believe has visibly tilted toward one side? Why the urgency to seek Amit Shah’s intervention over allegations levelled against a village chief, while the issue of 14 missing Kuki-Zo civilians is slowly diluted into just another paragraph in a press release?
The contrast is stunning.
The community’s own civilians vanish under mysterious circumstances, yet the organisational energy seems focused on damage control for an accused village chief and diplomatic compliments for the Chief Minister. If priorities were an Olympic sport, this would qualify as a gold-medal performance in political acrobatics.
The message being sent to ordinary Kuki-Zo families is devastating: your grief may not be as important as maintaining access to power.
Meanwhile, fears are growing that the next phase could involve arrests of Kuki-Zo youths under allegations of underground links, while those accused by Kuki groups continue to evade equivalent scrutiny. Whether these fears materialise or not, the perception itself reflects the deep distrust now consuming the community.
And yet, instead of confronting this imbalance directly, the KZC appears determined to demonstrate how cooperative and appreciative it can be.
Perhaps this is the new model of resistance: boycott your own leaders for speaking with the government, then praise the government yourself when the pressure rises.
The community deserves honesty. If leaders believe compromise is necessary for survival, they should say so openly. But dressing political helplessness as “balanced governance” insults the intelligence of the very people they claim to represent.
Because when a movement begins sacrificing justice in exchange for proximity to authority, it ceases to be a movement. It becomes public relations.
And that is precisely why the KZC statement feels so shocking — not because it praised the Chief Minister, but because it did so while the pain, anger and unanswered questions surrounding its own missing civilians still hang heavily over the community.
