Inner Line Permit System in Manipur : Lollipopping the public once again

Samarjit Kambam *

All Political Parties on ILP hand over 'Report On ILP System' to Chief Minister, Manipur on 10 Dec 2014 :: Pix - Arunkumar Thongam

The Winter Session of the State Assembly concluded in 2014 without even mentioning anything about ILPS issue. The people of Manipur are quick to forgive and fast to forget. The Chief Minister was forgiven and his promise for ILPS Bill which wasn't kept was forgotten. Again another assembly session, this time the people expected something concrete. Like students curiously waiting for exam results with pounding hearts and crossed fingers, the people eagerly awaited for the bill on ILPS.

Promising it was, with even the state government taking part in forming a Political Party on JCILPS with Deputy Chief Minister as the protagonist. At last the result was declared from the Assembly of political conclave stunning everyone. The disparity with the people's expectation and the outcome - like fire and water. The Manipur Regulation of Visitors and Tenants Bill (MRV&TB) in place of ILPS, just like and extra-terrestrial coming out from the kennel when you expected your dog to come out. New wine in old bottle? Old wine in new bottle? No wine in new bottle would be more appropriate.

The simplest illustration of MRV&T Bill is like a marriage without a bride, an underwear without elastic, a cellphone without SIM, a bucket full of emptiness. Here the meaning of the words 'Permit' and 'Regulation' are light years apart. The leader of the state government's un-enthusiasm and lackadaisical attitude for the fate of the umpteen indigenous people of the state is clearly reflected in this mannequin bill.

After thoroughly going through, the bill has been found to be a hollow one, serving no purpose for the indigenous people of Manipur. In fact, it turned out more as a protective shield for illegal as well as legal migrants from mainland as well as outside India.

Let me dig out a few basic facts about our historic backgrounds. Since millennium, Manipur, the then Kanglapak was once a princely independent state. Our forefathers known as Kangleichas were very courageous, great fighters and highly skilled in warfare, good craftsmen, hardworking and even brought the game of Polo to the world. Although agriculture was the main source of livelihood, there was no shortage of food as each family had their own agricultural land.

Loyal though they were to their king, they never begged for mercy, never got bogged down by any threats or pressure, they lived with dignity, they died with dignity. There was no feudal system and hence no hierarchal class or caste-based structure and the various ethnic groups co-existed together peacefully. Even though the word 'tribal' was not relevant during those days, the Meeteis residing in the valley were tribals in the pure sense.

The beginning of rupture of the very fabric of co-existence of hill and valley people comprising of more than 33 ethnic groups began during the reign of King Chandrakirti. Course he was a good warrior and regained many lost parts of Manipur during his reign. Brave though he was, just like a bolt from the blue he was brainwashed by Santidas Gosai, a Bengali from Bangladesh(Sylhet) who had great dexterity in playing tricks with chemicals.

The king got so obsessed with his tricks that he began to look up to him as a cult figure and embraced Hindu religion, most particularly Hindu Vaishnavism and converted the valley people particularly Meeteis' religion into Hinduism from the millennium-old Sanamahism and the sacred holy book of Manipur called "Puya" was burnt to ashes. The valley inhabited Meeteis were inculcated with the mindset that being Hindu metamorhphosed them to a superior race and many cultures and traditions of Meeteis got a fusionic beating.

Thence, the ugly head of one of the most evil quality of humans called 'Pride' got endemic in the mindset of the Meeteis. With pride came the mentality among the Meeteis that manual works were meant for inferior race or class of people. Our hill brothers were forcefully brought to the valley to do all kinds of manual works including cleaning of drains, waste matters etc. The hill brothers were treated as inferior or untouchables or lower race and were not allowed to enter the houses of Meeteis.

Naturally, hatred against the Meeteis brewed amongst the hill people and thus the rift between hill and valley people began to widen. One positive fall-out that transcended is that the populace of hill people climbed in the valley and are permanently residing in many areas of Imphal. For the record, we in the valley are all living together putting aside our differences like brothers and sisters.

Yes, in the case of Manipur, Darwin's theory of "Survival of the Fittest" holds true if the different ethnic groups are fair and open to each other like what's happening in the valley, it will give us the power to survive against the ever-growing influx of non-ethnics. However, the pent-up anger still exist among our hill brothers and many state as well as non state actors are plotting their nefarious designs for growing animosity among the valley and hill people for their own selfish ends where various power equations come into play.

Pride has ushered the once hardworking Meeteis towards lethargy. Thus arose the 'pull factor'. Learning that manual works were in great demand, many non-ethnics from mainland India and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar targeted Manipur as their livelihood destination by whatever means necessary. Once they get a foothold, their relatives would pour in and gradually attaining the present scenario where we are dwarfed by them. This bloodless population warfare against indigenous people of Manipur is gradually progressing like a cancer.

Once our planet earth had 'Dodo' a duck-like slow moving fat bird which were many times a sitting duck than a real duck found only in South Africa. Besides admiring deliciousness, they were easy hunting targets which gave great hunting pleasure to the British and their incessant hunting safari spree for their fun and enjoyment left them with no more Dodos to hunt. Later the British found out that that particular bird wasn't found in any other part of the world thereby becoming an extinct bird.

Extinction is irrevocable, unless you have the ability or resource to travel through time and make amends to your doings. The British lamented their deeds and learnt fast that extinction is a street of no return and tried to preserve whatever flora, fauna, ethnic group of people under their control. Thus the North Eastern States of India viz Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland were implemented with the ILPS under the Eastern Bengal Frontier Act 1873 by the British.

As for Manipur, being a princely state, in 1901, the British implemented a more effective system called the Permit or Passport System for controlling the entry of foreigners as Indians coming from other parts of India were called Foreigners in the terminology of Manipur's administration. If the foreigners wished to visit Manipur, they were required to take permission from the then authority and had to pay certain amount of taxes.

The said permit system prohibited any foreigner to acquire or purchase land in Manipur thereby serving two-pronged purposes - controlling and regulating influx of non-Manipuris and forming an important source of revenue for the state. In 1948, the Government of India had officially approved retention of the permit system in Manipur. Unfortunately, this permit system was abolished by Mr. Himmat Singh in 1950, the then Chief Commissioner, who was Head of the State's administration which is considered illegal as the said permit system was covered under the "Indian Law" envisaged in Section 3(29) of the General Clauses Act 1897.

That illegal abolition allowed free entry, rampant and unchecked influx of outsiders to our state. The irony is that even the British cared for the indigenous and ethnic people of Manipur while their Indian counterparts did the opposite. Outlandishly outstanding!

One more thing I would like to add, not from my mind but from the bottom of the heart is that here are many amongst us Meeteis who are hypocrites. We can witness swarms of migrant workers residing as tenants along the stretch from Khoyathong, Nagamapal, Keisampat upto Keisamthong, and many other localities of Imphal area. The irony is that they all possess Aadhar cards with the tenant owners being the leverage for possession.

While many of the sincere JCILPS members were busy verifying documents of new influx in different parts that falls near the proximity of NH-2, such tenant owners pretending as lovers of their motherland would budge the old and grizzly women who even do not have a clear-cut idea of what ILPS really stands for to stage protest rallies and sit-in dharnas for implementation of ILPS. What a shame on our part. I am really ashamed to call myself a 'Meetei' when I see such hypocrites. Those well-do-do 'selfies' also need to be rectified in our movement for ILPS.

The economy of the whole of Moreh town bordering Myanmar is under the control of Madrassis. Ziri town is in an identity potpourri. When I was a kid my late dad used to take me to Bazaar in his rickety bicycle. I observed that all the shopkeepers were mayangs – Marwari, Sardarjis, Bengalis and the likes. Later on I realised that they were the business-savvy, enterprising ones who were not migrant workers.

Even before the heavenly fingers sent me to this world, they had already been so deep-rooted in trade and business here that the economy was already controlled by them, deciding the prices of essential commodities at their whims and fancy and we are at their mercy. See how lowly, pathetic and miserable we have become, living at the mercy of the mayangchas in the very heart of Imphal city, the core of our state. In fact we have become their economic slaves. Now, we are on the verge of becoming their physical slaves.

At this critical juncture I appeal to all my fellow brethens to change our attitude towards works be it manual or otherwise. Once all the manual works are carried out by ourselves, the migrant workers from outside will gradually depart as they are only service workers not knowledge workers for we have a huge pool of knowledge workers. We should welcome and encourage "why should others do our work" mindset. If service works by locals in Manipur start to gain momentum a development will arise where this work culture will make us fully-geared soldiers in this world of survival of the fittest.

Mainland Indians consider the demand for ILPS as a racist movement. But in ground reality it's not the case. It is demand of provision embedded in the Indian constitution which is our birthright, our privilege. It's quite different from prohibition or restricted area. This doesn't mean that non-Manipuris are not welcomed. It's just that a concrete and practical system is maintained to preserve the indigenous people from losing their identity and becoming endangered to the verge of extinction as enshrined in the Indian constitution.

So it is high time that we strive for the ILPS till the goal is achieved. The mammoth question is, "Is there still a provision in the Indian constitution to protect the indigenous people by the very government of the state?".

The answer is a big YES as per Article 19(5). The Chief Minister of Manipur made bold statements and spoke tall promising the public that ILPS will be implemented at any cost and even mentioned the resignation of all 60 MLAs if not materialised but becomes less enthusiastic and half hearted during all political party meetings. Its high time that the CM alongwith his flock of ministers do something concrete, do away with MRV&TB and implement ILPS in Manipur before the indigenous people of Manipur meet the fate of Dodos and become history.