On September 4, 2024, PU Lalduhoma, the Chief Minister of Mizoram, took the stage in Indianapolis, USA, to deliver a speech with a powerful call for a united Chin-Kuki-Zo nation—a vision that extends beyond India’s borders to encompass culturally and religiously connected tribes in Bangladesh and Myanmar. His words aimed to foster a sense of unity among these dispersed communities, but the underlying implications have sparked concerns about a separatist agenda that could destabilize South Asia. With remarks infused with religious and cultural overtones, Lalduhoma’s speech has not only raised suspicions about a potential foreign-backed initiative but also stirred debates on sovereignty, regional stability, and geopolitical maneuvering.
During his speech, Lalduhoma expressed a deeply emotional appeal for unity: “We are one people—brothers and sisters—and we cannot afford to be divided. Through God’s strength, who made us a nation, we will rise under one leadership to achieve our destiny of nationhood. While a country may have borders, a true nation transcends them. We have been unjustly divided across three governments in three countries, and this we cannot accept.” Framing his message as a “destiny of nationhood,” Lalduhoma invoked a shared cultural and religious identity, emphasizing that the Chin-Kuki-Zo people have a historical claim to be one nation despite the political boundaries that currently separate them.
DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION & PUBLIC RELATIONS, Government of Mizoram, IndiaThis sentiment has resonated with some members of the Chin-Kuki-Zo community, who have long felt marginalized and divided. The tribes are spread across India’s Manipur and Mizoram states, as well as parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar, and share linguistic, cultural, and religious ties that make them feel connected across borders. However, Lalduhoma’s words went beyond a cultural message, instead proposing an assertive vision of political unity that has led to concerns about sovereignty. For many observers, this speech crossed a line by suggesting an intent to alter the political landscape of the region.
The talk of a unified Chin-Kuki-Zo nation raises sensitive questions, particularly in India’s Northeast, a region historically fraught with separatist movements and ethnic tensions. The notion of creating a Christian-majority state, spanning parts of India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, taps into a recurring fear in South Asia: that foreign powers may be exploiting internal divisions for strategic purposes. These concerns were intensified by a recent disclosure from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who claimed that an American official had explicitly spoken of plans to create a Christian nation carved from parts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and India. According to Hasina, the American representative—a “White Man,” in her words—made no secret of his intentions to manipulate religious and ethnic identities to create a Christian-majority state in South Asia.
Hasina’s statement has sent ripples through the region, as it underscores long-held suspicions of foreign interference in regional matters. For years, the Northeast of India and neighboring areas have been vulnerable to separatist pressures, with several groups voicing demands for autonomy. Lalduhoma’s speech has added fuel to these tensions, appearing to align with the idea of reconfiguring borders to suit external agendas. Given that the United States has often expressed an interest in promoting religious freedoms and supporting minority rights in complex regions like South Asia, some analysts interpret Lalduhoma’s message as indirectly serving Western geopolitical interests by disrupting the stability of India and its neighbors.
In his Indianapolis address, Lalduhoma spoke with a sense of mission, using religious language to portray the push for unity as divinely sanctioned. His rhetoric suggested that the Chin-Kuki-Zo people’s “destiny of nationhood” is not just a political aim but a spiritual imperative. For many, this invocation of religious purpose goes beyond a call for ethnic solidarity, positioning the movement as a form of resistance against existing national boundaries. By framing the cause as a divine mission, Lalduhoma has stirred anxieties about a potential separatist movement that could become difficult to contain.
The setting and timing of Lalduhoma’s speech further amplify these concerns. That he chose to deliver this message on American soil has not gone unnoticed, leading many to question whether his call for unity is being supported, if not orchestrated, by Western powers. The United States has been accused in the past of supporting separatist movements in other parts of the world to advance strategic interests. By delivering his speech in Indianapolis, Lalduhoma opened the door to speculation that his message was shaped or encouraged by these same interests. Hasina’s warning about American intentions seems to validate these suspicions, adding a layer of complexity to Lalduhoma’s appeal.
For decades, India’s Northeast has been home to ethnic and religious diversity, making it a region of both cultural richness and political fragility. Bordering China and Myanmar, it holds strategic importance for India’s national security. Foreign interest in this region has been longstanding, with Western countries frequently expressing concern over religious freedoms and human rights. But many in India view these expressions as veiled efforts to meddle in domestic issues. Lalduhoma’s call for a Chin-Kuki-Zo nation adds a new dimension to these suspicions, with some seeing it as part of a broader strategy to destabilize the Northeast by playing on ethnic and religious fault lines.
Though demands for greater autonomy and recognition have a historical presence in India’s Northeast, Lalduhoma’s vision taps into recent fears of an externally motivated agenda to divide India. His call for a united nation that crosses international boundaries not only challenges India’s territorial integrity but also signals an attempt to rally support for a separatist cause. This aligns ominously with Hasina’s revelation about an American-led initiative to create a Christian-majority state in the region. For India, this speech represents not merely a call for unity among the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes but a direct challenge to its sovereignty, and a potential precursor to increased foreign involvement in the Northeast.
As Lalduhoma’s Indianapolis speech continues to reverberate, India and its neighbors face complex choices. Lalduhoma’s vision—cloaked in the language of unity and shared identity—appears to carry the seeds of a separatist agenda that could reshape the region’s geopolitical map. The call for a Christian-majority nation spanning India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh threatens to stoke tensions and exacerbate existing conflicts in these areas. By framing his appeal as a divine mission, Lalduhoma has not only ignited passions within the Chin-Kuki-Zo community but also raised fears that his rhetoric may encourage further unrest in an already volatile region.
India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar must respond carefully to Lalduhoma’s call for unity. The consequences of such a movement could be profound, potentially leading to a fragmentation of existing states and the creation of a new buffer zone with strong religious undertones. This potential division of South Asia, guided by a separatist push that seems to align with Western interests, is a scenario that regional powers cannot afford to ignore.
Lalduhoma’s speech may have been framed as a heartfelt plea for unity, but its implications are far-reaching. It raises questions about whether this call for a Chin-Kuki-Zo nation is part of a genuine cultural movement or a calculated effort to redraw South Asia’s borders under the influence of foreign powers. For India and its neighbors, the stakes are high: what appears to be a movement for cultural solidarity could ultimately catalyze regional fragmentation, forcing South Asian nations to confront the reality of a shifting geopolitical landscape.
