The Armed Political Movement Of Manipur Nagas Till The Signing Of Framework Agreement
- Part 2 -

Aheibam Koireng Singh / Sukhdeba Sharma Hanjabam / Homen Thangjam *

Table no 1: Interim Government of Manipur Constituted on the 14th of August, 1947 (Rajkumar Maipaksana, 'Constitutional Development of Manipur In a Nutshell', in Aheibam Koireng Singh, H. Sukhdeba Sharma, eds., Annexation of Manipur, New Delhi: Forward Books, 2014).

SL No	Name	Position	Community
1	M.K. Priyobrata Singh	Chief Minister	Meitei
2	Rajkumar Bhubonsana Singh	Minister	Meitei
3	S. Krishnamohon Singh	Minister	Meitei
4	T.C. Tiangkham	Minister	Kuki-Chin
5	R. Khathing	Minister	Naga
6	K. Gouro Singh	Minister	Meitei
7	Md. Basiruddin Ahmed.	Minister	Meitei Pangal

It is natural for any movement to put forward their aspirations. However, putting claims based on concocted or borrowed history of other or similar groups will only disturb the movement in the long run. This is the case of the Naga movement in Manipur. The experiences of a movement that was confined in the Naga Hills was later on used as a legitimate ground to extend the movement in Manipur by the Manipuri Nagas (TS Gangte, 'Exclusive Naga Inhabited Area:: Non Existent' Imphal Times, Imphal, 13 Sepember 2015).

This has projected the movement of Naga Hills as an expansionist movement or land grabbing movement. For instance, while the Nagas of the Naga Hills struggled for their claims, the Manipuri Nagas are busy engaging with the Kings administration, interim period and later with Manipur State.

Table No 2: Constitution Making Committee of Manipur State Constitution Act 1947

SL No	Name	Position	Community
1	F.F. Pearson (P.M.S.D.)	Chairman	British
2	S. Somorendra Singh	Darbar Representatives	Meitei
3	Md. Kazi Walliullah	Darbar Representatives	Meitei Pangal
4	L.M. Ibungohal Singh	Chief Court	Meitei
5	S. Bijoy Singh	Jiribam Representatives	Meitei
6	A. Ibotombi Singh (alias Minaketon)	non-official	Meitei
7	H. Dwijamani Dey Sharma	Valley representatives	Meitei
8	Dr. L. Leiren Singh	Valley representatives	Meitei
9	L. Jogeswar Singh	Valley representatives	Meitei
10	S. Krishnamohon Singh	Valley representatives	Meitei
11	Mera Jatra	Valley representatives	Meitei
12	Daiho	Hills representatives	Naga
13	Thangkhopao Kipgen	Hills representatives	Kuki-Chin
14	T.C Tiangkham	Hills representatives	Kuki-Chin
15	Teba Kilong	Hills representatives	Khulmi
16	R. Suisa	Hills representatives	Naga

Note: The constitution of the Constitution Making Committee was announced by the Maharaja on 10th March 1947. The Committee finalized the framing of the Constitution and adopted it on 26 July 1947 . So the recent territorial claim of Manipur NSCN-IM has few takers amongst the Nagas in Manipur. Left with no other alternatives, they have even tried in electoral politics by fielding its own candidates indirectly and later directly, but peoples' disapproval remains the same.

It is at this stage the UNC initiated the demand for Alternative arrangement through a Naga Peoples' Convention on July 1, 2010 at Senapati district, Manipur. One of the main resolution was to severe all political ties with Government of Manipur and declaring the ADC election as 'null & void" and filling up the vacuum thereby created because of the severing of ties with an alternative arrangement. However, it was a failure in the initiation itself as none of the member of UNC respected the resolution. Likewise their families who are working with the Government of Manipur also had not responded to the issues.

The reason for failures of any initiatives of NSCN-IM concerning the Manipuri Nagas could be because of its emphasis on ill informed or one-sided international consultant's reports. Most of the consultants are alien and insensitive to the issue of the region and are interested in delivering their assignment, irrespective of the consequences. In one such report, it even outlines the strategies of their activities (Naga International Support Centre (2010), Nagalim: Indo-Naga Cease Fire Analysis: Exploration of policy alternatives/ recommendations and strategies for their Implementation, January 19).

"The option of demanding a separate administrative unit exclusively for the tribals of Manipur is the most viable short term as well as long term strategy. That it will dilute the greater cause is a complete misgiving for the following reasons:

a) Nagaland State had been already created. The emotional barrier we have today between the Nagas of Nagaland and other Nagas is due to this artificial boundary. Adding another Administrative State for Nagas will only help bridge the gulf between the brethren of these two states. This will be enumerated at the later stage.

b) This movement will be solely at the public/ civilian level.

c) Any political struggle process involves short term measures which will uplift the overall condition of the people. For example, during the Indian freedom struggle, several Acts were passed at the behest of INC to bring reforms within the colonial structure to ameliorate the political, social and economic lives of people although the ultimate is independence. The political reforms introduced did not in any case dilute the ultimate goal of the struggle. In fact, it concretizes the ultimate goal and therefore, laid the very foundation of Independent India".

The report further adds that "Creating a separate political entity for the Nagas of South will, therefore, go a long way in the process of integration process for the following reason:

i. Having a territorial entity of our own will raise the bargaining power with our brothers in Nagaland. It will not be a move for integration of Naga territory of Manipur with the territory of Nagaland but integration of two entities-an amalgamation.

ii. This will clear the constitutional hurdle of having consent of the States concerned for merger to create a bigger one political entity. It will be then that the sincerity of Nagas from Nagaland will be tested.

Strategy: As much as scoring goal is not a matter of one long shoot from one goal post to another, there is a need to have several steps if needs be to achieving this goal. For one should be fully prepared for a long drawn battle.
i. Demand for separate Hill Education Board.
ii. Demand for separate Hill University.
iii. Demand for separate Land Revenue and Forest Act for the hill areas.
iv. And, ultimately, demand for separate union territory/State
v. It should have an inclusive approach.

It is important to note that right from the inception of this process other non-Naga tribes should be taken into confidence. It will be suicidal on our part to commit the same mistake of the early 1990s". We have witnessed these movements failing one after another in the last few years. But it has created intra and inter-community confusion and tension among the communities of Manipur. The ethnic divide reached such a height that even the former Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio called the Chief Minister of Manipur O Ibobi as the "one of the biggest enemies of the Nagas"( 'Ibobi one of the biggest enemies of the Nagas: Rio', E-Pao. Net, 7 February, 2013).

The first and the second demand was witnessed by the public but the third demand was mostly done through official channel as it is one of the demand of NSCN-IM based in Manipur (Aheibam Koireng Singh, 'Revisiting Naga Unification Politics vis-à-vis Common NBSE Syllabus in Manipur Hill's, http://manipurtalks.com). The forth movement was initiated under the banner of Alternative Arrangement. When they try to be inclusive and extended their proposal to Chin-Kuki-Mizos particularly the KNO, they try to outwit each other as they understand each other's logic for the proposal (Hanjabam Shukhdeba Sharma and Homen Thangjam, Historic Framework Agreement That Can Burn Down 'sentiments' Into Ashes, E-Pao.Net, August 20, 2015).

As part of the inclusive process KNO proposed for land sharing to NSCN-IM through a MoU. However, it was reported that the MoU could not be signed as they don't agree with the proposal (Office of the Kuki National Organisation, Government Of Zale'n-Gam, Proposed Memorandum of Understanding between the KNO and the NSCN (IM), Manmasi, August 2015).

The proposed MoU states:
The Hill areas, presently demarcated as Churachandpur and Chandel Districts of Manipur, the autonomous Sadar Hills Region of Senapati district and all Kuki villages in Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong Districts contiguous to Chandel, Sadar Hills and Churachandpur belong to the Kuki people and shall form a Kuki state. Likewise, the Hill areas presently demarcated as Ukhrul and Tamenglong Districts of Manipur, the areas in Senapati District other than the Sadar Hills Autonomous region, and all Naga villages in Sadar Hills region of Senapati, Chandel and Churachandpur Districts contiguous to Ukhrul, Tamenglong and Senapati other than Sadar Hills belong to the Naga peoples and shall be integrated into greater Nagalim.

The Kuki villages in the interiors of Ukhrul, Tamenglong and areas of Senapati district other than the Autonomous District Region of Sadar hills shall remain within greater Nagalim, and the Naga Government shall endeavour to protect, promote and develop these villages and the people with equality, a spirit of fraternity and fairness. The Naga villages in the interiors of Sadar Hills Autonomous Region in Senapati District, Chandel and Churachandpur Districts shall remain within Kuki state, and the Kuki Government shall endeavour to protect, promote and develop these villages and the people with equality, a spirit of fraternity and fairness.

(To be continued)

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* Aheibam Koireng Singh / Sukhdeba Sharma Hanjabam / Homen Thangjam wrote this article for e-pao.net
The writer can be contacted at akoireng(at)gmail(DOT)com
This article was posted on November 03, 2016.

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