Imphal, September 27: Leaders from both the Thadou and Meitei communities of Manipur have jointly petitioned the President of India, through the Governor of Manipur, seeking the disqualification of BJP legislator Paolienlal Haokip, who represents the Saikot (ST) Assembly constituency.
The affidavit, submitted on September 25 by Thadou civil society leader T. Michael Haokip and M. Bobby Meetei of the People’s Alliance for Peace and Progress, alleges that Haokip is not a citizen of India and accuses him of “engineering” Manipur’s ongoing ethnic conflict. The petition also calls for the annulment of his 2022 Assembly election, cancellation of his Indian identity documents, and his deportation to a “country of origin.”
Central to their claim is the argument that Haokip’s tribe, “Any Kuki Tribe (AKT),” was not part of Manipur’s Scheduled Tribes list at the time of his recorded birth in 1974. The affidavit points out that the “Any Kuki Tribe” entry was removed in 1956 and only reintroduced in 2002-03 under the Ibobi Singh-led Congress government.
It also alleges irregularities in electoral records, noting that Haokip’s name appeared on the voters’ list only in 2021, at the age of 46, while his father’s name was absent altogether. The affidavit further highlights a disputed age record, claiming his daughter is listed as just four years younger than him.
When contacted, Haokip dismissed the allegations, responding with a single word: “Funny.”
The petition comes amid heightened tensions in Manipur, where several Meitei organisations and political leaders, including former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, have blamed “illegal immigration of Kukis from Myanmar” as a trigger for the current ethnic violence.
