Ccpur - The Lingual War-II
(The Contentious case of Principal Broadcasting Language/Link Language)

Joe Bloggs *

"This sub-culture feeling takes every notion of community/nation & turns it upside down"

Incongrous as it may seem to some; Churachandpur (Lamka) is inhabited by the Kuki-Chin-Mizo Communities who are of the same origin & ancestry – Agnate clans who theoritically & ethnically speaking are one. But for all practical politcal purposes, they choose to remain as different as can be, and far apart from each other as " the east is from the west".

Grouping themselves under one generic terminology or the other eg – Mizo, Kuki , Chin, Zomi. The chasm between the same ethnic group of people, who for political or reason otherwise append their loyalty to one nomenclature or the other, could only be bridged by years of confidence building measures, mutual respect for each other, peaceful co-existence, & through consulation & consensus. Unfotunately consensus is a word that is alien to the politically dominant clans of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo family in the district of Churachandpur. The affinity of the kindred communities is confined only to the pages of books & seminar papers or treatise written by research scholars for their doctorate(Phd) degrees.

The Kuki-Chin-Mizo communities of Manipur are a double minority – Minorities within the context of India in general & are also minorities in the context of Manipur. Their yearning for a political settlement is justifiable & deeply understandable. In their bid to have a political standing of their own, they joined in droves the Mizo Union & the Mizo National Front, shedding their blood, sweat & tears, only to be betrayed twice by the Lushai Chauvinism – the first betrayal was under the Mizo Union & the second great betrayal came under Laldenga ( the MNF movement).

Their hope for a Greater Mizoram remain nothing but an Utopian's dream. Being betrayed & done in by the Lushai Chauvinism not just once but twice, the Kuki-Chin-Mizo communities of the present southern Manipur moved out of the Mizo nomenclature fold, & starting seeking new politcal identity for themsevles when they realized that 'unless and until they speak in Dulian/Lushai dialect they can never be really counted in as one; even though their contribution to the Mizo Union & the MNF movement was no less significant than the Dulian Lushai speaking people of Mizoram.

The next natural Generic terminology/nomencalture which could collectively stand for all the sistere tribes of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo fold of Manipur is Kuki, as the same group of people are collectively known as Chin in Myanmar. Kuki seems to be the most appropriate terminology; historians & writers in British India have always referred to them collectively as Kukis. Kuki was at one point of time the only generic terminology for all the cognate tribes, until ' the Thado Chauvinism' like the Lushai Chauvinism drove the Non-Thado speaking group out of the Kuki fold/terminology. Of late, a new terminology that has been proposed as an alternative to Mizo/Kuki is Zomi, for a moment it seem plausible, but with the passage of time, the Zomi Nomenclature too seemed to be going the Mizo/Kuki way – 'domination by one particular clan'.

The "burning issue" that has caught the attention of every sections of the society in Churachandpur these days – is the S.P.F Government obdurate attitude to go ahead with the commissioning/inauguration of the All India Radio Sub-Station at Tuibuang, Churachandpur, and to impose upon the Ccpurians/Lamkaites, a particular dialect as the Principal Broadcasting Language/ also known as the Host & the Link Language.

The word "Impose" as defined by the dictionary is ' to force something upon someone against his/her will'. If the S.P.F Government is trying to impose a decision, one can easily conjecture that such a decision lack the consent & mandate of the general public. The language in question here is the Paite dialect - one of the dialects of the Kuki-Chin-Mizo family. The Principal Broadcasting Language/Link Language has always been a contentious issue right from the time the then I&B (Information & Broadcasting) Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj tendered her signature of approval for the same.

The Prasar Bharati has been plagued with problems/controversies, ever since it decided to set-up an All India Radio Sub-Station in Churachandpur. The original site chosen by the I&B Ministry for the AIR sub-station in Churachandpur was in Muolvaiphei Village under Saikot (ST) Assembly Constituency. Muolvaiphei was chosen as a site by a team of experts from the concern Ministry, taking into view of it being located slightly at a higher altitude than the other localities of the town; so as to facilite the un-interrupted receiving of radio/communication signals.

Regrettably, the site chosen by the I&B Ministry's team of experts was not to the liking of a powerful Politician who proposed to shift the AIR-Sub-Station, Ccpur, to a location of his choice. It was at this juncture, that a top & highly influential career civil servant, who was then the Director of Prasar Bharati All India Radio, Regional Headquaters, Guwahati, intervened & in the fairness of things, relocated the AIR-Sub Station Ccpur to Tuibuang, the District Headquaters, & putting an end to the site/location controversy.

Just when the location of the AIR Station Ccpur was finalized, one foresighted Politician who was a Minister in the then Nipamacha Admnistration/Government, made the then Chief Minister W. Nipamacha Singh recommend his own dialect for the Principal Broadcasting Language; & then rushed down to New Delhi & got the approval of the then I&B Minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee B.J.P led Government - Smt. Sushma Swaraj for the same (This happened during the period of 19 March to 12 October 1998). Thus the Paite dialect was discreetly approved by political manoeuvering, without the consultation & consent of the other communities of the district.

No wonder when the present Chief Minister – Shri.O. Ibobi Singh, in his first innings as C.M, tried to commission the AIR Sub-Station, Ccpur with Paite dialect as the Principal Broadcasting Language, objections arose from various quarters about the discreet manner & the circumstances under which the particular dialect was finalised as the Principal Broadcasting Language. Knowing that the issue was far too sensitive, the C.M O.Ibobi shelved the idea of commissioning the AIR Sub Station; that was sometime in the mid 2000's

Coming to the present time, the social & political equation in Churachandpur, Manipur has had some positive changes – the Suspension of Operations is definitely one of the note-worthy positive developments in the political scenario of the district. All the Militant Groups operating in the district have signed an agreement with the Govt of India in August 2005 as Kuki Militant Groups; the agreement became a tripartie in nature when the State Government became a party to the SoO in August 2008.

The Kuki nomenclature seems to have an edge over the others as far as politcal expediency is concern. Sensing a change in the mindset & the rigid stance of the yester-years Our Hon'ble Chief Minister – Shri.O. Ibobi Singh having survived many coup attempts within his own Congress Party and having earned himself the distinction of being the first C.M of Manipur to have completed a full 5 years term. All these must have enhanced his stature & confidence, for Shri. O. Ibobi Singh in his second innings as the Chief Minister,(maybe out of political compulsion with assembly elections in mind or out of personal choice) is trying his best to solve the vexed issue of the link language by commissioning the AIR Sub-Station with the then I&B Minister Sushma Swaraj's approved Link Language.

Time is indeed a healer, this time the opinion of the Thado Speaking Communities is kind of split – there are some who are for a wider consultation so that a consensus could be amicably reached, there are others who are not at all adverse to the Paite Dialect being the Principal Broadcasting Language based on the judgment that 'Paite is also one of the many kindred tribes of the Kukis, & with all the militant groups in the Ccpur District entering into SoO as Kuki armed groups with the Govt of India, Paite is also one of the dialects of the Kukis just like Hmars & the host of other'.

This can be taken as sign of healthy developments, truly commendable, but what is a bit regrettable is that there never has been consultatvie meeting of mandated civil organisations on the issue of the Link Language, which also mean that a consensus has never been reached on this contentious issue. The opinion of the ther other minority tribes in the context of Ccpur like Gangte, Simte, Lushai, Zou, Kom, Vaiphei & Meiteis had never been taken into account right from the start. The minority tribes under the banner of Zomi & Kuki has been maintaining a dignified/undignified silence over this issue, what can a lamb say in front of the Lions, the Tigers & the Bears!!?

The SPF Government has been viewing this problem only through the prism of Thado/Paite, the concern & opinion of the other major clan/tribe in the district – the Hmars have never been consulted. The C.M in his noticeable attempt to appease one Senior Minister from the Hill, is in a haste to commission the Ail India Radio Station Ccpur, with the link language as passed & approved by Sushma Swaraj. In trying to bull-doze through such a sensitive issue the C.M is throwing logic & rationale to the wind. Party wise speaking – our Chief Minister Ibobi maybe the only Congress-(I) Chief Minister in the whole of the country, who is so keen to implement an order passed by the then B.J.P Atal Bihari Vajpayee led Government. Questions that could be raised here are 1)Why is the issue of Link Language only seen through the framework of Thado/Paite alone? 2) Are the feelings & opinions of the other tribes of Churachandpur of no consequence to the SPF Government? 3) Is the S.P.F Government a government only for the politically resourceful & the politically dominant class?

The plight of the Hon'ble Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh is also understandable & pitiable. With two heavy weight Senior Chingmi (Hill based) leaders within the Congress Party, not really in favour of him. He has to play his politcal cards right, & retain the favour of atleast this lone heavy-weight senior leader from the hills, who is still in his Government/Admninistration. So as to maintain the representativeness of his camp within the Manipur Pradesh Congress, in the eyes of the All India Congress Committee. In regard to the AIR –Principal Broadcasting Language controversy, the Chief Minister is a prisoner of his own political ambitions, it also looked like the C.M is just a mere puppet on a strings of someone else. The Chief Minister must bear in mind, that what could be politically right is not always morally & socially viable.

If we look into the allotment of program/air-time by the Prashar Bharati to the Kuki-Chin-Mizo tribes – the Thados were the first to have a full fledged program, the Hmars were the second to have program of their own, the Paite brethern were the third in term of air-time/program allocation; and the rest of the other tribes of the fold still do not have full-fledged program under All India Radio. As one can easily infer from the above lines, the choice of the dialect for the Link Language is completely out of sync with the sequence of program/air-time allocation of Prasar Bharati. One can easily deduce from this, that the decision to choose a particular dialect as the link language lacks popular will & consent, and that it is a politically manipulated decision.

The Hmar Students' Association has come out with a press-statement on the 5th of April 2010, clarifying their stand on the subject & calling for a consensus in this sensitive issue, which could have far reaching implication if not properly handled. The call for consensus by the HSA, has been misinterpreted by some as anti-Paite, which is truly regrettable; the HSA explicitly stated it is not for or against any particular dialect , but for consultation among community mandated civil organisations so that a consensus could be reached, as there has been no consultation so far on the issue of link language, since it was done & aprroved discreetly.

The HSA also mooted the idea of 3 major kindred tribes of the District – Thado, Hmar & Paite sharing the Link language status on a rotational basis. The case for Hmar as the Link Language is by the virtue of it being the only tribe recognised by the People Representation Act of 1956, along with Lushai Mizo. The HSA is not against Paite being the link language but against the lack of consensus in this matter as clearly stated in their press release.

The Chief Minister should have the audacity to look beyond the context of Thado/Paite for resolving the link language imbroglio. If there is a controversy with the 3 major languages of the district – Thado, Paite, & Hmar being made the Link Language, then the next majority –the Vaiphei language could be made the Link Language with due consultation of all concern, or the S.P.F government could take a cue from the United Nations Organization functioning, & appoint the dialect of the most minor tribe of the Churachandpur district - Kom as the Link Language .

If the Link language controversy persists, the best option would be to use either the international language English as the Link Language or the National Language – Hindi, or even the State's language – Meitelon to avoid any misunderstanding in the near or distant future. The Link Language controversy is a long standing sensitive issue, that has been kept in the back-burner all these years, hence it should be dealt with tactfully & rationally, taking into consideration the opinion of every community in the district of Churachandpur. A decision in which even the least of the least do not feel left out. Personally, I am not for or against any particular dialect, as responsible citizen I seek & plead for consensus.

The issue of Link Language is of such a sensitive nature that a solution which is acceptable to one & all should be worked out of in proper consulation between community mandated organisations. The language/dialect that is whole-heartedly agreed upon after such a consultation & which has the backing and the approval of all the concern tribes of the district should be crowned the coveted status of the Principal Broadcasting Language/ link language; and not as result of political manipulation as has been the case now.

Let there be a proper consultation between community/clan wise mandated organisation and after such consultation, if all the stake-holders in the District whole heartedly agree upon Paite dialect as the Link Language, then it shall be. The point is let us reach an unanimous decision first, let consensus be the guiding principle & not political manipulation.

The Chief Minister has two choices:

1) He can bull-dozed through this most sensitive issue & commissioned the BJP's Sushma Swaraj aprproved Principal Broadcasting Language/ Link language & risk social unrest in Ccpur District.

2) He can delay the inauguration of the All India Radio Sub-Station, Ccpur, and seek wider consultation on this sensitive issue, so that a solution acceptable to all could be worked out in the best interest of all.

If the Chief Minister resort to choice number 1) – It would mean that, he is acting out as a staunch politician & doing so in a brazen attempt to appease a particular politically dominant community & retain the favour and goodwill of the Heavy-weight politician from the Hill; which would also mean that the C.M doesn't really care about the grievances & concerns of the other tribes of the district

If the Chief Minister resort to choice number 2) – It would mean that he is not just a politician but a Statesman who is matured enough to understand what far-reaching implications & outcome one decision could have if it lack consent & the mandate of all concern.

Hon'ble Chief Minister – the Ball is in your court. You can Link up the uneasy peace of Churachandpur or De-Linked it absolutely with the stand you take regarding the issue of Link Language. The Choice is yours Sir, and History will be a Witness and the Judge to the choice & the decision that you make.