Imphal: Manipur BJP spokesperson T. Michael Lamjathang Haokip has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider the Manipur Assembly’s unanimous resolution in February 2024 that called for not extending the controversial Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement signed with Kuki, Zomi and Hmar insurgent groups.
He urged that extending the agreement could destabilize Manipur, which has been under President’s Rule since February 2025, following the collapse of its elected government.
The last deadline to extend the tripartite SoO agreement signed between the two dozen insurgent groups and the Centre and the state government was February 29, 2024.
Under the tripartite SoO agreement, militants are bound by strict ground rules. These include prohibitions on recruiting new members and highway extortion, as well as requirements to remain in designated camps with their firearms secured in jointly monitored storages.
In his letter to PM Modi, Haokip stated the constitutional implications of ignoring the state assembly’s resolution. “As per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, public order falls under the State List. On 29 February 2024, the current 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, where the BJP holds the majority, unanimously resolved against any extension of the SoO agreement with UPF/KNO by the government of India,” he stated.
“Ignoring this decision would not only violate the Constitution but also undermine the democratic mandate of the people of Manipur. I urge the government of India to honour this resolution and uphold the federal principles of our democracy,” he stated.
Haokip said it would be a mistake to treat the armed groups under the SoO agreement as “partners in peace”.
“Continuing to patronise insurgent groups in the hills of Manipur risks creating man-made, human-triggered volcanoes that will inevitably erupt. It is time to treat such groups for what they are: militants, not partners in peace,” Haokip stated in his letter.
If the SoO agreement has to be extended, it should be done only after a popular government is reinstated in Manipur, Haokip said.
He also stressed the necessity of a broad-based consultation with all affected stakeholders, including indigenous groups from both the hill and valley regions, with particular emphasis on leaders and community members of the Thadou tribe.
Haokip alleged the government appears “unable to enforce the agreed ground rules, and [so] any further extension serves no meaningful purpose.”
He added, “Mere reduction of designated camps is not a solution; it only amounts to shifting responsibility without addressing the core problem.”
Notably, the two dozen Kuki, Zomi, and Hmar insurgent groups operate under two primary umbrella organizations: the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF), both of which are signatories to the SoO agreement.
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Earlier this month, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a member of the Kuki National Army (KNA), a SoO signatory group, for attacking a police post and killing two commandos in Manipur’s border town Moreh in January 2024.
