Peace talk and quixotic demands
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 12, 2014 -
Even though the current term of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact signed between the United People's Front (UPF) and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) with the Government of India and the Government of Manipur expires on August 22, neither the UPF nor the KNO have taken any decision to extend the cease fire agreement for any period of time so far.
The SoO pact was first signed in 2008.
Since then the pact was being extended periodically but very little has been achieved in terms of bringing a negotiated settlement.
Leave aside settlement, the first round of political dialogue is yet to take off.
Given this sluggish and half-hearted engagement, disenchantment felt by the KNO, UPF and Kuki civil society leaders is understandable.
In the meantime, came the news of the appointment of the Government of India's new interlocutor for its protracted political dialogue with the Naga rebel group NSCN-IM.
The lattest interlocutor is former Special Director of Intelligence Bureau RN Ravi.
Whether the peace talk is with NSCN-IM or Kuki rebel groups, Manipur always occupies the central position after NSCN-IM scaled down its core demand from sovereignty to Naga integration whereas the Kuki rebel groups have been demanding a separate Kuki State to be carved out of the present political entity called Manipur.
This political matrix is rather intriguing.
With the Kukis demanding a separate State of their own and Nagas steadfastly holding the banner of a pan-Naga State, ethnic polarisation has reached the highest point.
This political interplay is not restricted to Kukis and Nagas alone.
There is a third party which holds the territorial integrity of Manipur as the most sacrosanct, something untouchable under any circumstances.
In fact, it is the third party against which the first two parties target all their political salvos in the name of salvaging themselves from exploitation by the majority.
This does not mean the first two are under any form of consonance or any position of reconciliation.
The third party just happens to be their common adversary yet they themselves are no friends by any yardstick.
The third party happens to be common adversary because it wants to maintain status quo of the present day Manipur vis-à-vis territory as against the demands of the first two to disintegrate the state.
Before talking about the ultimate political goal of Kuki State or Naga integration, let's look back at the issue of Sadar Hills.
Every time there was massive and sustained civil movement for creation of a full-fledged Sadar Hills district and the State Government got down to work to fulfill the demand, it was the question of boundary and its ambiguity which nullified all the civil movements as well as Government efforts.
Interestingly, the boundary disputes are largely between Naga villages and Kuki villages.
This is a clear indication that no part of Manipur is exclusively inhabited by a single community.
The demands for Naga integration or alternative arrangement and separate state as well as the seemingly non-negotiable stance to preserve territorial integrity of Manipur are all fuelled and fired by strong undercurrents of nationalism.
It is clearly the case of ethnic nationalism which is driving the political agenda of separate state and alternative arrangement.
Control over land and resources is both a unifying factor for the champions of separate Kuki State and Naga integration and at the same time an irreconcilable bone of contention as manifested during the ethnic clash of early 1990's and the more recent attempt to create full-fledged Sadar Hills district.
Even if a life-size map of Manipur is laid out in front of the champions of Kuki State and Naga integration, and forget about the existence of the third party, we don't believe they would be able to divide the territory of Manipur between themselves amicably.
Dialogue per se does no harm but quixotic demands are self-defeating.
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