Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 06, 2010:
Stating that local people share a serious contempt against non-Manipuris and that they are no longer safe in Manipur, the proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) has asked all non-Manipuris who came to Manipur after 1949 to leave the State by May 31 this year.
In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary T Leisemba, the outfit remarked that non-local people are much abhorred by the local-people.
Citing the recent spate of attacks and killings of non-Manipuris in different parts of the State, the outfit corroborated its claim about in-security of non-local people in the State.
Tracing the root causes of the hatred of non-local people, the outfit asserted that people of Manipur changed their attitude to non-Manipuris coming from different parts of India when security forces started torturing and killing innocent people in the wake of armed attacks on them by insurgent groups which began since the late 1970's. This hardened feelings of the Manipuri people against the alien rule.
Perhaps, such harassment by security forces also compelled people of Manipur to turn their wrath to any non-Manipuri staying/residing within their surroundings.
Another major factor which caused widespread resentment amongst the local people against the outsiders has been the domination by the latter in all administrative and economic domains.
Observing that there have been sporadic but unabated reports of killing non-local people, and that the Government of Manipur is unable to prevent such unwanted incidents, the outfit advised all non-local people to leave Manipur for safer places.
Claiming that this instruction is for their (non-local people) own welfare and safety, the RPF declared that non-local people struggling for their livelihood in Manipur are not their enemies.
Reaffirming its concept of non-local people not being its enemies, the outfit quoted from the DAWN (Volume I, September 25, 1978), �Who is our enemy and who is our friend ? Are the 630 million people of India our enemy ? No.The starving people of India who live from hand to mouth, the peasants and the working class, the exploited and the downtrodden, are not out enemy.
They are our friends.
Because, the poor in India have no home, no food, no clothing, that is to say, the poor have no motherland of their own in India�.
This same concept regarding exploited non-local people was declared since the PLA took birth on the soil of Manipur and the party has been strictly adhering to this principle.
Guided by this principle, the RPF, after forging a close relationship with the Maoists who are fighting for the alleged downtrodden and oppressed people of India, has been working together with the Maoists to fight the common enemy, the Government of India.
Non-Manipuris coming to Manipur to earn their livelihood for a square meal a day are a small fraction of the 23 crore underprivileged people of India who cannot afford a full meal in a day.
To the RPF, they are products of the Government of India's alleged oppressive regime.
They are friends of the party, it declared.
On the other hand, the Government of Manipur, allegedly functioning at the mercy of New Delhi, has been working hard to blame and indict insurgent groups for the threat and challenge being faced by non-local people.
In the face of the indigenous people's rising contempt of non-local people, the State Government has been consistently trying to poison the conscience of non-Manipuris with false propaganda against revolutionary groups.
On the other hand, security forces and RAW have been bringing in many intelligence agents to Manipur in the guise of innocent labourers to make Manipur a buzzing nest for espionage activities.
In view of all these designs and activities of the Government of India, RPF is impelled to take a definite stance of its own regarding the non-local people.
While the State Government is unable to prevent unwanted incidents targeting non-local people, the Government of India is capitalising on the prevailing situation to advance their own agenda.
Conceding that the RPF is not in any condition to help the non-local people, it advised all non-Manipuris to leave Manipur by May 31. In connection with this advice, the outfit also appealed to all inter-State buses, trucks and other transporters and the general public not to bring in non-Manipuris to Manipur and not to rent out rooms to non-Manipuris.
It further appealed not to sell plot/land to non-Manipuris or allow them become business proprietors/heads or hire them as labourers.
Excepting those who come to Manipur for education related purposes for temporary period, experts/scholars coming for temporary works, tourists, players and those coming for art and culture related activities, all other outsiders coming to Manipur are illegal in the view of the RPF, and hence entry of non-Manipuris into Manipur is prohibited considering their welfare.
The outfit further sought public cooperation towards its position regarding non-local people.