Dy CM Dikho Lauded by TCI for Peace Efforts and Recognition of Thadou Contributions
Thadou Community International (TCI) has commended Losii Dikho, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, for his forthright advocacy of peace and his public acknowledgment of the Thadou community’s peacemaking role during past and recent ethnic conflicts in the state. In his powerful address as chief guest at the 2026 ‘Zomi Namni’ festival, delivered on February 14 and again on February 20 in Churachandpur, Minister Dikho spoke candidly about his personal experiences with the Thadou community—particularly the Thadous of Motbung village—and highlighted their consistent efforts to promote peace. He made similar remarks in his first community outreach as Deputy Chief Minister at Motbung Thadou village on February 7. His recognition of the Thadou community’s peacemaking role during the Kuki–Naga violence of the 1990s and the Kuki–Meitei violence that started on May 3, 2023, was both significant and timely, said TCI in a press release.
However, TCI expressed concern that his specific references to the Thadou community’s contributions were regrettably diluted in media coverage, saying despite being the single largest tribal community in Manipur, identity politics and narratives driven by exclusivist agendas have contributed to the marginalization of Thadous. At the same time, much to the benefit of the violent supremacist agenda, media reporting has frequently failed to reflect the complexity and diversity within Manipur’s tribal communities, it said. Minister Dikho’s remarks signal a constructive step toward acknowledging these realities. His emphasis on peace, social harmony, and his affirmation of Manipur as a multi-ethnic society—where hill and valley communities must coexist in mutual respect and recognition—reflect an inclusive vision for the state’s future. He underscored the importance of safeguarding indigenous identities and cultures from forces that seek to divide or erase them, it said.
Under the leadership of Thadou Inpi Manipur, and with the support of TCI and community members worldwide, the Thadou community has consistently advocated for peace, the unreserved recognition of distinct indigenous identities, non-violent conflict resolution, and principled coexistence among all communities in Manipur. Thadou leaders, past and present, have risked their lives and safety for peace, the protection of Thadou human rights, and the preservation of their indigenous identity, it said. TCI urged all political leaders, government officials, academia, and media institutions to engage honestly with Manipur’s layered realities and to ensure that no community, including the Thadou, is marginalized or subsumed by false identities or narratives. It is equally important for all ministers to remember that, while they represent their respective constituencies, they also represent the state of Manipur and its people—not any single community. Similarly, MLAs represent the people of their constituencies, not a particular ethnic group. They must therefore avoid politically motivated and communally divisive rhetoric, it said.
People must reject the notion of Manipur as a tri-ethnic entity—a politically engineered myth and narrative that has contributed to recurring cycles of ethnic tension and violence. Unless such narratives are discarded, the risk of renewed conflict remains. Divisive frameworks, whether born of ignorance or ill intent, only perpetuate mistrust among the people of Manipur, it said. TCI extended its best wishes to Deputy Chief Minister Dikho in his role as Deputy Chief Minister and expressed hope that his commitment to truth, recognition, and reconciliation will contribute meaningfully to lasting peace, development, and shared progress in Manipur.
