Politics of the Lim divide : Pitching rally and bandh
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 23 2018 -

A case of the politics that the Lim divide spawns coming out in all its ugly manifestations.

Nothing would explain this better than the 12 hours bandh called by the United Naga Council in ‘Naga areas’ and the mass rally lined up by the United Committee, Manipur on October 31.

The UNC has qualified the bandh call with the term ‘12 hours bandh in Naga areas’ while the UCM has not deemed it fit to spell out the ‘geographical (demographic) specifications’, but in reality the rally will be held in Imphal with the route having been spelt out earlier.

The proposed rally and the bandh centre around the ongoing political dialogue between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India and while the engagement is known as the peace process, there is nothing to suggest that the polarised stands adopted by parties across the Lim divide come anywhere near the understanding of peace, as it is universally understood.

Peace for the NSCN (IM) and the Nagas who the outfit purportedly claim to represent, but suspicion and misgiving for the others particularly those who stand by the understanding of a united Manipur.

In fact so deep is the divide that one can safely predict that the 12 hours bandh in ‘Naga areas’ will be total while the mass rally will see a massive response.

Which way the dice will roll is anyone’s guess but let it be clear to all that the common people, who all claim to be representing, should not be manipulated to fall in line with their beliefs and thought patterns.

Makes no sense if further division is created in the name of fighting for the cause of a group of people and this line of thought should apply to all on either side of the Lim divide.

What all should be wary about is the emergence of a group of people who have come under the impression that they can make a political point by going on a bout of bashing the idea of Manipur, while those on the other side of the Lim divide are known to have belittled and mocked the idea of a Greater Lim.

Let it be clear to all, particularly those batting for a Greater Lim, that the idea or identity of Nagas has never been challenged in the geo-political reality known as Manipur.

Likewise batting for the idea of a Naga identity should not mean deriding the idea of a Manipur as a geo-political reality. Both can co-exist without disturbing each other.

It is only when one learns to look at things from a broader perspective that the ability to see things from the shoulders of the others can become a possibility.

Unfortunately not much effort seems to have been made towards this direction.

The reality should underline this observation. How did the idea of the 12 hours bandh come about ?

Is it solely driven by the motive to demand an early solution or is it due to the mass rally planned on the same day ?

If an early solution is what is wanted, then why not impose the bandh on any other day ?

Why choose Oct 31 ? These are natural questions that follow.

Now that the rally and the bandh have been called simultaneously on the same day, let UCM and UNC go the extra mile to ensure that mischief makers are kept in check.

Standing by one’s belief should not mean provoking the others who may stand on either side of the Lim divide.