On Manipur clashes Mizoram activist Lianhlawng speech at UN

Aizawl: A social entrepreneur and activist, Alienery Lianhlawng, has sparked a heated debate on social media after speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council on the ethnic conflict in Manipur. His remarks prompted an official statement from General Secretary L. Ramdinliana Renthlei at ZORO’s General Headquarters in Aizawl, dissociating him from representing the Mizo people.
Reantli expressed dismay at Lianhlawng’s speech and questioned her status as a representative of the Mizo community, citing her marriage to a non-tribal “English” man. Renthlei argued that she must adapt to her husband’s culture and that her identity as Mizo/Zohnam no longer existed. He emphasized that his words only represented his individual views and not the collective sentiments of the Zhou people.
In her address to the 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Lianhlawng identified herself as an indigenous woman from Northeast India. It challenged the narrative propagated by the international media regarding the Manipur conflict and highlighted the rich ethnic diversity in India’s northeastern region. She said, “Being an indigenous woman from India’s North East, I have the privilege of shedding light on the Manipur conflict and the Government of India’s firm commitment to restore peace and normalcy in the region. has gone.”
Lianhlawng further elaborated on the complexity of the Manipur conflict, emphasizing that it must be seen through the lens of complex ethnic relations. Disputes over land rights, control, and ownership are among the primary factors driving conflict, rather than religious differences. “Therefore, as described by the international media that the Manipur conflict is religious in nature, it has no basis,” he clarified.
Her speech sparked a debate on social media, with some groups criticizing her and others speaking in support of her speech. The Karnataka Meitei Association hailed Lianhlawng as a Mizo Christian social activist and praised his insightful address on the Manipur dispute during the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.
The association criticized some members of the Kuki community for constantly portraying themselves as religious victims and influencing global Christian NGOs. He claimed that the Manipur turmoil was due to land disputes, demographic imbalances due to migration from neighboring regions, cross-state movements, and the proliferation of narco-terrorist activities, including large-scale deforestation and poppy cultivation.
Alinery Lianhlawng is the founder of Rochun: Pay It Forward – a social project that aims to provide access to educational resources and develop leadership skills of young people in India and Myanmar. Rochun provides online and physical libraries and aims to establish a library in every school in the Indian state of Mizoram.