Manipur Deputy CM Losii Dikho says Naga MLAs may withdraw support if the Centre does not act against Nemcha Kipgen.
Dikho says renewed Naga-Kuki violence is driven by land disputes, indigeneity and illegal immigration, with no concrete solution yet.
The Naga MLAs abstained from the Assembly, while Dikho warns they may quit the government if their demands remain unanswered.
'If Centre Doesn’t Act, Naga MLAs Will Walk Away From Govt’: Manipur’s Naga Deputy CM
In an exclusive interview with Outlook, Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho says Naga MLAs cannot remain in a government that includes a minister linked to an insurgent group, warning that they may withdraw support if the Centre fails to act. Dikho, a Naga leader, also says there is still no concrete solution to the state’s ongoing conflict
Summary
Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho, along with nine Naga MLAs cutting across party lines, abstained from the Manipur Assembly on September 7, demanding action against fellow Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, a Kuki leader. They had earlier written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking her removal, the arrest of those linked to the killing of six Naga civilians in May, whose bodies were recovered in June, and strict enforcement of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.
Dikho has warned that the Naga legislators, who belong to the BJP, National People’s Party (NPP), Naga People’s Front (NPF) and include Independents within the governing coalition, may withdraw support from the BJP-led state government if the Centre does not respond.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in Naga-Kuki violence since early 2026, following the return of an elected government in February after nearly a year of President’s Rule. The BJP-led administration under Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh had inducted both a Kuki and a Naga as Deputy Chief Ministers to maintain ethnic balance amid the ongoing Meitei-Kuki conflict. In a conversation with Outlook, Dikho speaks about the new cycle of violence, the letter to the Centre and what the Naga legislators may do if their demands are not addressed. Edited excerpts here.
Why did you, along with the other Naga MLAs, write the letter to Amit Shah regarding your fellow Deputy CM, Nemcha Kipgen?
We (the Naga community) have maintained neutrality between the Kukis and Meiteis during the conflict. These are the people who were not involved in the communal crisis, and during the crisis, we were trying to restrain people. We have committed ourselves to not having such violence anymore. So, we have been trying to remain neutral and play our role as a community. The situation was not totally under control after the imposition of President's Rule for one year. Some of the situations were better, and then the popular government was installed. We were hoping that it would get better, expecting that both communities would remain calm and that we would have normalcy in our state.
But in the meantime, the Kuki groups started provoking the Nagas. So, we told them that this is not the way to work with each other. The Kukis already had a very serious crisis with the Meiteis, a majority community of the state. And then again, if you are going to have a conflict with Naga society, it will not be good. So, remain humble and let us try to remain peaceful. We advised them, but then all these incidents started happening. We cannot remain calm, so we want to appeal to the Central Government that this should not continue. One group of organisations (Kuki National Front-Presidential) started killing people, and it never stopped. So, we said this is not done and we are not comfortable moving with them.
Because the head of the state, the Deputy Chief Minister, is a part of that family who has started such kind of extremist activities. This is not permissible under any law or under the Constitution of India. It is violating the Constitution and the law of the land and creating terror among the people and the public.
So, we the Naga people and the Naga ministers told them that we don't want this. We cannot remain like this with the appointment of a minister who is creating such problems, which is legally and constitutionally wrong. They will continue to create more problems and more killings will happen. That is the reason we feel that if such a position is allowed, it is dishonorable even to the people and to the head of the state. This is totally wrong, so we cannot go along with such people. There is also a SoO (Suspension Of Operations) agreement, but they are not following its rules. They are freely carrying all the arms and ammunition and roaming around without following the ground rules of the ceasefire also. So, that creates a lot of problems. We want to sound it to the Central Government to take these things seriously.
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Have you received any response from the Central Government, and have you raised these concerns with the Chief Minister as well?
No, not as yet. We have been waiting [for a response from the Central Government]. We have been talking with the Chief Minister to solve these problems. The Chief Minister has also tried his best to advise and request her [Nemcha Kipgen] to help in solving this problem, but she cannot. For the Chief Minister too, he has to be with all the people, both sides. He has to be with the Meiteis as well as the Nagas. That is his duty, and he is trying his best to do that.
Have the two of you had a meeting together with the chief minister so far?
No, we haven't met. She cannot come to Imphal. She used to be present in virtual meetings and other meetings, but it is very difficult to communicate with her. And then, we are not comfortable with virtual communication and discussions. Her voice is not clear, and we don't know what is being said. Although, the chief minister has been speaking and coordinating with her separately, whenever it is needed.
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The new cycle of violence has been between the Kukis and Nagas. What do you think is the major issue behind this new cycle?
It is basically because of land, indigenous people, illegal immigration and land disputes. Meitei and Naga people claim to be indigenous, while the Kuki people came later, occupied land and kept expanding. Illegal immigrants also started coming in large numbers from Burma and other places. So, that has become the problem.
Do you think that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census is going to solve this?
That is also one way in which we can slowly understand the issue. Whether it's NRC or Census or whatever, we need to understand the situation. Even now, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is being done, so there are a lot of technical things involved. With this kind of proper scrutiny, proper system, we can bring some changes. That is what we are expecting, because there are many Kuki people who are citizens, and we need to take care of them also. It is going to take time, and we have to thoroughly and properly do all the exercises.
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You are also a part of the popular government that is in power. Do you think the government has been able to achieve what it intended to? What have been the challenges for you so far?
When the new government came to power there was hope but also protests. But immediately after the installation, this Kuki problem started. However, one good thing is that now the leadership (chief minister) can reach out to every community. So, on his part, he is doing his best. The only problem is that the Meiteis and Kukis cannot go to each other's places; they cannot meet, and this is creating a lot of disturbances in the state.
How do you think this is going to be solved, especially when people have taken up arms to "protect themselves", referred to as village volunteers?
That is what we have. We have no means here. Even the government has tried its best. Earlier, when there was a Kuki-Meitei clash, there was no solution. Time itself has shown that nothing is completely done. I think the Central Government should advise the state government properly. To bring a solution to this fight, we must understand the root cause, why and where it started. That will be the only way.
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Have you tried to have a conversation with Kuki civil society organisations (CSOs), so that some kind of agreement or solution can come to the table and there is no further loss of life?
That is something that we must be doing. And that is what we are planning as well. But the problem which we are facing and are not comfortable with is dealing with the head of the state or the committee minister (Nemcha Kipgen), who has an insurgent organisation under her. We cannot negotiate with them. Even today, because of that, the Union Home Minister has not responded to our application. Today, the Naga MLAs have been absent from the Assembly because we don't want to see her participate in the Assembly. If she is participating online or through virtual participation, that is also participation. So, we cannot participate in the government and expect any result from her.
However, there are other Kuki MLAs who are qualified and capable of taking on leadership. Why give the position to a family member of an extremist group? We will continue to talk with all the people, the CSOs and others to bring peace. Even the whole civil society, the church leaders; everyone is trying to bring peace.
Is it true that if the centre government does not take action against the Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, there is a chance that you might withdraw support from the government?
That is something we have to do. Since there has been no response from the government, we have stayed away from the Assembly to show our unhappiness. Running the government with such people is something that we don’t want. We have already submitted our application, which was our first step. The Honourable Home Minister understands the state issue. He has also appreciated the Naga people for releasing the 14 people (Kuki villagers) who were taken hostage by the Naga volunteer group.
At the request of the Home Minister, they were released. He will understand the mind and the interest of the Naga people that they want peace. So, I hope our Home Minister will understand our concern and respond to our application.
When we talk about village volunteers, how do you feel about the fact that people in a state have to take up arms to protect themselves? What does this say about the state of Manipur after more than three years of conflict?
That is why the central Government should actively participate with the state government to do something about it. And then, the local bodies, like the district council, have to be immediately restored. They also have to share the responsibility of reaching out to every corner of the state. It is everybody’s interest to have peace, and then we will go ahead with that. There is no concrete solution as of now.
Nobody wants to live without peace. So, the initiative has to be of everybody–all the MLAs, all the people, have to be involved in that. However, with such kind of government, which has extremists involved and then killing people, how can we initiate, how can we negotiate, how can we bring the confidence of the people by having such people in the government? This is very unconstitutional. This is illegal. This is going to hamper the democratic system of the country also. So, therefore, we want to implement these changes first. Only then can we start negotiating with all the peaceful people.
What is your next plan of action now? Whether the government responds to your demands or does not respond, what will you do next?
This time, this is a very, very serious issue, which cannot be denied justice before the public, before the people. So, if the Government of India does not respond to our appeal, we have no other means. We have to walk away from the government. To show our seriousness, we have also shown it by abstaining from participating in the Assembly.
Kipgen’s involvement with KNF-P was known even when the popular government was initially formed. Why did you not register your protest against her involvement at that time, or did you?
At that time, we knew that she was the wife of the chief of KNF-P. But the organisation was under the SoO with the Government of India. We knew there was an MoU, an actual agreement, between the Government of India and the organisation. So, it was okay. The government accepted it then. But now, when the violence started again, her husband's organisation started killing the Nagas. That is why the Naga people are protesting now. When her husband is killing the Nagas in such a way and is continuing, the people started protesting against her position in the government because of that.
Manipur is expected to go to the polls in a few months. How do you expect the current situation to shape the upcoming elections, and what do you think the political landscape will look like?
If the situation continues like this, particularly in the hills, it will be very difficult to hold the elections now. But I don't know how the government or the Election Commission will observe it; that is our personal observation as of now, given the situation. But, since the census is not going to happen now, in that case, I have been told officially by the Election Department that the Manipur election will be held in February, as scheduled.
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