The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of the Thadou tribe, has strongly rejected the legitimacy of a group calling itself the “Thadou Tribe Council (TTC-GHQ),” which recently issued a letter to the United Naga Council (UNC) regarding the proposed Churachandpur–Kangpokpi road connectivity.

In an official media release issued on Saturday, Manggou Thadou, Joint General Secretary of TIM, clarified that TTC-GHQ has no recognition or affiliation with TIM. He alleged that the group is a fabricated entity created by TS Letkhosei Haokip, a government school teacher under Manipur’s Education (S) Department, to advance a clan-based, militant-aligned narrative under the broader Kuki nationalist agenda.

According to TIM, Haokip is associated with several other unrecognised forums, including the Kuki Reunification Forum (KReF), World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), the defunct Kuki Chiefs Association (Manipur), and a youth group named Lomlhang Som (LS). Collectively referred to by TIM as the “Federal Council of Five” (FCO5), these organisations are alleged to serve personal and sectional interests in the name of pan-Kuki unity.

The apex Thadou body condemned the contents of the TTC-GHQ letter, stating it falsely claims Thadou territories and identity as part of Kuki land. TIM argued that such claims misrepresent historical facts and disregard the Thadou’s distinct ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity — which is officially recognised under Manipur’s Scheduled Tribes list.

TIM further appealed to all communities, including the UNC, Naga Hoho, Meitei, Zomi, and Hmar, to remain vigilant against what it described as divisive agendas promoted by individuals like Haokip. The organisation accused him of pushing an anti-Naga, anti-Meitei, anti-Zomi, anti-Mizo, and anti-Thadou ideology for personal gain, thereby endangering inter-community harmony.

Reaffirming its sole legitimacy in representing Thadou interests, TIM dismissed all statements made by unmandated groups like TTC-GHQ. The release recounted TIM’s historical evolution — from the Thadou National Council (TNC) established in 1984, its rebranding as the Thadou Tribe Council (TTC) in 1992, to its restructuring as Thadou Inpi in 2015 during the Delhi Thadou Conclave — all aimed at preserving the identity and constitutional rights of the Thadou people.

TIM concluded by citing the 2024 Thadou Convention, which unequivocally declared: “Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people. Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki. Any organisation that incorporates ‘Thadou’ but espouses Kuki and misportrays Thadou as Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou people or interests.”