PM's Concern: Does the Centre want to help eliminate the 'divide'?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 28, 2010 -

The happenings in Manipur, its various issues and problems including insurgency, the NSCN-IM factors, its frontal organisations' activities, most importantly, the economic blockade and its fallout, etc always find a place, howsoever small, in every speech the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister makes on any important national occasion.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed concern over the so-called Naga-Meetei 'divide' in Manipur in his address at the 45th conference of Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police being held in New Delhi. Home Minister P Chidambaram has also mentioned about the law and order situation in Manipur which he said has improved very much in his speech on the first day of the three-day conference.

Similarly, in the past many conferences held in the capital city, the Central leaders never forgot to mention a few words about violence and insurgency in Manipur. Making a cursory remark about trouble-torn Manipur during every speech delivered at a national event connected with internal security is a routine for the Central leaders.

But do they really want to end the problems and trouble through peaceful and democratic means and help the people live a peaceful and trouble-free life? Did the Central leaders ever take up some concrete measures to solve the problems of Manipur after the events where they had delivered speeches are well over? It would seem that these questions are irrelevant.

Because one Chief Ministers' conference on internal security would be gone and another DGPs' conference would follow. Thus conference after conference over the past many years since the Congress led UPA came to power at the Centre had been organized, but the Centre has not taken any noteworthy initiative to put an end to any of the major problems of Manipur.

It is here then that the concern of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the so-called Naga-Meetei "divide" which had "accentuated", in his own word, calls for a dissection.

It's true that various ethnic groups in Manipur are asserting their identity-based demands such as Kukigam (Kukiland) and Nagalim (Naga land) by armed militant groups of the community concerned. The Prime Minister termed this "unfortunate," and pointed out that it needs "well thought-out and sensitive handling."

But we'd like to ask, how far is the input that the PMO received about the Naga-Meetei divide correct and proven? If the PMO and the MHA think that the information they received from various sources including the RAW, IB, SIB, Army, Assam Rifles, other CPMFs, NSCN-IM, its frontal organizations and some Naga political leaders who live and work behind the protection and sponsorship of NSCN-IM, etc is absolutely true and proven, what are they going to do about it?

We do not believe that such information would have been given by the state Chief Minister and any of the government apparatus. It's not only the Meeteis but also many other communities who stand for a united Manipur with all the communities living together as one and the territorial integrity intact.

It's true that the Naga frontal organizations of NSCN-IM and some Naga politicians who took NSCN-IM's help in getting elected to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and an ex-MP have been working overtime indulging in anti-Meetei and anti-Manipur government campaigns spreading communal propaganda in and outside Manipur with an objective to make the people of the country and the world believe that there is a sharp divide between the so-called Naga tribes and the Meetei in Manipur.

Then there are also people in the Army and the Security Forces who, after seeing the Mao gate incident of May 6 in connection with Muivah's failed attempt to enter Manipur, started saying that the divide has never been sharper. Then there are some other pessimistic thinkers even among the journalists who also share the same opinions.

But the truth is that the masses of Naga and Meetei communities are not at loggerheads at all. The simple and poor tribal masses living in the interior areas of either of the four so-called Naga populated hill districts of Manipur are least bothered about the NSCN-IM's dream of 'Nagalim'.

It's only the NSCN-IM and its frontal organizations who are coercing the simple and innocent masses to toe their line under threat. Everyone in Manipur and the North East knows this fact. It would be unfortunate if the PMO or the MHA had missed this reality. Now what are the PMO and the MHA going to do about the extended economic blockade of the NSCN-IM's frontal organizations?

Their demands are from the Centre, not from the state government. Instead of expressing sadness and shedding crocodile's tears at a conference in New Delhi, if the Centre is really concerned, it should take some serious action against the groups who take diabolic pleasure in creating situations wherein the people of Manipur, irrespective of tribe and community, are compelled to face extreme hardship.