Alternative Arrangement, Article 371A & integrity
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 15 2018 -

Chief Minister N Biren’s statement that Manipur will never break apart is indeed a bold statement.

But an atmosphere of uncertainty still hangs heavy on the horizon of Manipur vis-a-vis the Framework Agreement signed between the Government of India and NSCN-IM and the former’s idea of extending Article 371A of the Indian Constitution to the Naga inhabited areas of neighbouring States of Nagaland including Manipur.

If the negotiating parties finally strike a deal and Article 371A is extended to the neighbouring States, Manipur may not break apart as promised by the Chief Minister but the Government of Manipur’s administrative authority within its own territory would be severely undermined.

What we fear the most is not curtailment of Government’s administrative authority but sharp polarisation of communities.

If Article 371A is extended to Manipur in favour of some particular communities, the particular communities would be literally living outside the purview of the Government of Manipur while residing within the territory of Manipur, and this will have adverse impacts on the socio-economic and cultural relations shared since ages among the different indigenous communities of the land.

Remember, the United Naga Council was vociferously demanding an “Alternative Arrangement outside the Government of Manipur for the Nagas in Manipur pending solution to the Indo-Naga issue.”

It may be sheer coincidence but we cannot help asking whether the offer for Article 371A is in response to the demand for Alternative Arrangement.

Perhaps UNC has dropped the demand for Alternative Arrangement sensing a possible solution to the prolonged dialogue process.

It is rather interesting that the final solution is apparently coming in the form of what they demanded when the final solution was pending.

From the words and vocabulary used by the UNC when they demanded Alternative Arrangement, one can easily see that the UNC was demanding some sort of alternative to the existing system of governance and administration controlled by the Government of Manipur.

So much is clear and there is no ambiguity in its implication that Nagas would live separately away from all neighbours, be it Kukis, Meiteis or other communities.

The UNC once voiced openly “Let’s part ways peacefully” and declared publicly “Meiteis and Nagas cannot live together”.

The paradox only sharpens with AMUCO, UCM and many other civil organisations championing for a united Manipur.

Clearly, two opposing forces, one centripetal and another centrifugal have been operating in the State for quite a long time with New Delhi as the common axis.

As dictated by their idea of a united and pluralistic Manipur, these civil organisations have rejected the idea of extending Article 371A to Manipur.

Fragmentation and separation cannot be a solution to the myriad issues and identity crises being encountered by indigenous communities of the entire North East region in this age of globalization.

It appears that something is seriously wrong with the idea of Manipur.

The one day Assembly session scheduled on August 16 would be a perfect platform for threadbare deliberation on all these harsh realities but it is sheer arrogance and irresponsibility that the Government has not bothered to issue the mandatory notification till late this evening.

Now any Assembly session on August 16 is quite unlikely.

If any session is held on any other date, it should not be restricted to adoption of the expected and obvious resolution “Manipur’s integrity should not be disturbed under any circumstances” or something like it.

The session should mark the beginning of a journey of soul-searching.

No doubt, protecting the State’s integrity is of paramount importance but it is also equally important to identify and then address effectively all the challenges to the State’s integrity and their root causes.