Zeitgeist in Manipur

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The Zeitgeist in Manipur,
Land of Paradoxes

Haokholala Thangjom *

Way back in January 1983 the Pan Manipur Youth League asked me to write an article on the political metamorphoses of Manipur since India attained independence. The article I wrote was, ‘From princely state to statehood’ and submitted to the Resistance’ weekly.

The editor prudently changed it into more scintillating caption, ‘From Sovereignty to Statehood’ without disturbing the contents of the article.

The vile or loathsome fact is that Manipur has become a political human guinea-pig in the hand of constitutional experts.

The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly or tadpole to frog requires only one stage of change or transformation in the case of Manipur, it took a quarter of century after independent to become a full-fledged state after negotiating the labyrinth or tortuous path.

The neighbouring Nagaland became a full-fledged state in 1963 which naturally became the envy of the neighbour.

In the year of independence Deveshwar Sharma was sent to Manipur as the Domination Agent and he was the first and the last Dominion agent.
The late Maharajah of Manipur, Budha- chandra Singh ushered in the popular Govt with an elected Assembly on adult franchise and a Ministry in 1948 even before the country embarked on having popular Govt elected on adult suffrage. The first Chief Minister was Maharajkumar Priyabrata Singh and on the sideline Major General Amar Singh was the Dewan.
When Manipur was integrated to the Union of India on the 15th October in 1949, it become one of the part ‘C’ State which is a nebulous status and Amar Singh became the first Chief Commissioner. Consequently, the Assembly was dissolved by the Govt of India.
In 1950 a nominated advisory council was constituted by the Chief Commissioner to assist him which was no better than a non-entity.
After the Constitution of India was adopted in January 1952, one elected Electoral College was constituted, the function of which was to have right to cast vote in the election of the President of India.
As an appeasement policy, a Council of Advisers (not Advisory Council) was constituted in 1953 comprising five advisers, namely, Dwijamani Sharma, S. Krisnamohan Singh, Salam Tombi, Dr L Kampu and A Daiho, all of them drawn from the Congress Party.
In 1957 Manipur became one of the Union Territorial under the Union Territories Act and an elected Territorial Council was constituted with Chief Commissioner as head of the administration. Dwijamani Sharma was the first chairman of the Territorial Council.
After the second election to the Territorial Council in 1962 the Govt of India agreed to convert it into Territorial Assembly with a Council of Ministers in July 1963. Mairembam Koireng Singh was the first Chief Minister who belonged to the Congress Party.
The second Congress Ministry led by Koireng Singh was dissolved on the 16th October 1969 due to intra-party crisis. The status of Chief Commissioner was lifted to the Lieutenant Governor and DR Kohli was the first Lieutenant Governor.
The dissolution of the Assembly was a blessing in disguise as all the political parties could work together in the demand for statehood. In short, very interestingly, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister announced the grant of statehood in Parliament on the 3rd September 1971 and inaugurated at Palace ground on the 21st January 1972 at 10.50 AM (Friday).

During twenty-five years, from the time India became independent and before Manipur became a full-fledged state shedding the tertiary period of being a Part ‘C’ State and Union Territory, the zeitgeist or the spirit or feeling of the age in Manipur was ‘Beggars have no choice’.

When all political parties launched a demand for a full-fledged State, the Naga Integration Committee of Manipur led by Ng Mono, president and Rishang Keishing as general secretary submitted a memorandum to Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister on the 23rd September 1969.

They stated, ‘The question as to whether Manipur demands a statehood or otherwise is hardly concerned with the Nagas. The talk of granting district autonomy to the hill people of Manipur has made no sense’.

Moreover, most of the tribal leaders were lukewarm to the Statehood demand. In the midst of such condition the tribal leaders who supported the Congress Party under the aegis of the Manipur Tribal Leaders Council strongly supported the demand.

A delegate comprising Stephen Angkang, Paolen Haokip, late K Kalanlung, late Kakhangai, Late Shompa, Kamkhangthang Guite and led by me met the Prime Minister and other Central leaders in May and November 1970.

The two salient questions put forward by the Prime Minister were the issue of state official language under Article 345 of the Constitution and district autonomy in the tribal areas or hill districts.

As a follow-up action, as a Congress MLA. I moved a private member’ resolution on the state official language urging the House to pass a resolution to make Manipuri or Meiteilon the State official language in addition to English which was discussed on the 15th April 1977 and unanimously passed by the House.

Consequently, as the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on the State Official Language, i introduced the relevant bill which was passed by the Assembly and enacted as The Manipur Official Language Act, 1979. It was an undenying fact that I felt the heat of some disgruntled tribal MLAs who tried to make me a soft target or a sitting duck on language issue.

After enjoying the euphoria of being a full-fledged state, for a few years, the two eerily parallel political phenomena, namely, the self-determination movement of the revolutionaries and the Damoclean Naga Peace Talks had shrouded the entire state. (Let us hope that the peace talks does not pronounce a Kangaroo court verdict).

Let us try to remove the zeitgeist or the feeling or spirit of the people that Manipur has become ‘A State of extremes’ caused by confusion, crime cult, corruption and chaos in the society.

Let the tie of tribal autonomy that bind together the State be restored without further loss of time as it has complete fifteen years that all Autonomous District Councils had been dissolved and not a single tribal MLA or Ministers dared to burn his finger for such a long time for the revival of tribal autonomy.

Viscout Morely said, ‘Democracy is not only a form of Govt but a way of life also’. It is pathetic that democracy in our State has already drifted towards Timocracy, a form of Govt in which ambition or desire of honour a guiding principle or Plutocracy which is a Govt by the wealthy.

Let us devote ourselves to save our State from becoming ‘Kala Pani’ (erstwhile name of Andaman and Nicobar islands) where people from other States dread to come and work.

Let us lament, ‘I love thee Manipur with all thy faults’ as Poet Wordsworth said, ‘I love thee, England with all thy faults.

* Haokholala Thangjom, a ex-Cabinet Minister and former political advisor to CM, wrote this article for The Sangai Express. This article was webcasted in e-pao.net on 30th August 2007.

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