The threat issued by the Hmar National Assembly that it would be constrained to serve quit notices on the Meiteis settled in Churachandpur district if the SPF Government does not fulfil its demands is a disturbing reflection of the shaky relationships between the different communities residing in Manipur.

It is also a reflection of how some organisations are wont to jump the gun and identify the State Government with the Meitei community.

Nothing can be more dangerous than this.

Already voices of concern have been raised from some quarters over the stand of the HNA and while it remains to be seen whether the quit notice will actually be served or not, it is time for all the people of Manipur to look inwards and acknowledge the fact that the seeds of suspicion and distrust between the different communities have already been sown and what we are reaping today may perhaps be the fruits of what were sown some time back.

It will not help to point fingers at anyone and say that the seeds of discord were sown by so and so, but what will help is the realisation that issues seen through and interpreted through the narrow prism of ethnicity is not only impractical but also dangerous.

This is all that more so in a region like the North East, particularly Manipur, which is home to a number of ethnic groups with each groups aligning and re-aligning themselves with new identities and cultural and genealogical affiliations.

In a sense we may even go to the extent of stating that there are still quite a large number of peoples who are still in the stage of evolving themselves as distinct groups of people and in such a stage the concept of ethnicity can take dangerous proportions if not handled with the sensitivity it requires.

What is the question of ethnicity got to do with the quit notice threat being issued by the HNA is a poser that may well be raised now.

A sincere look at the ground reality will tell us that the most teething problems facing Manipur today is the question of ethnicity as well as where the loyalty of one group of people should belong to.

One school of thought maintains that Manipur is home to all the indigenous group of people who have settled here since ages while on the other hand there is a school of thought which sees Manipur as synonymous with only the Meiteis.

It is against this concept that the NSCN (IM) has given the call for a Greater Lim and a sincere study of the quit notice threat of the HNA will also reveal the point that they view Manipur as representing only the Meiteis.

If it was not this mindset then there is no reason why the quit notice threat should have been issued against the Meitei community for grievances that were and are directed towards the State Government.

It is this disturbing trend that should be acknowledged by the civil society organisations of the State and accordingly take up remedial action to cure the malady and misconception.

No community should be targeted on the basis of any grievances harboured against the Government of the day.

Ignoring this fundamental point will do nothing except add to the chaos and confusion that we see all around.