Renewed call for Kuki State : Ancestral land alibi
- Sangai Express Editorial :: August 07, 2013 -
A renewed call for a Kuki State, with the rider 'more intense this time' than earlier. While it would be a gross error of judgement to view the renewed call for a Kuki State as a ripple effect of Telangana, the 'more intense' rider may be ascribed to the chain reaction that Telangana has kicked off, especially in Assam.
"Our land, we are not claiming others' land" is one of the basic premises on which the demand for a Kuki State has been raised by the Kuki State Demand Committee.
Place this argument by the side of the demands raised by the United Naga Council as well as with the International Meitei Forum and suddenly 'ancestral land' seems to have become the calling card of everyone or every community in Manipur.
Some sort of a fashion statement and if the issue was not so serious, it would not be a fallacy to say that fashion statements have a limited shelf life.
However the fact is, there are bound to be elements out there who will not hesitate to keep stoking the fire of 'fashion statements', which in this case is 'ancestral land'.
Interesting as well as dangerous, but then it is well known that some people do enjoy playing dangerous games. The Kuki State Demand Committee has already demonstrated how far their writ can run.
A bandh or a blockade called by them earlier had virtually cut off several parts of the State, from within.
This may be construed as delivering a hard political statement, for in demonstrating this, they may have projected that their claim to 'ancestral land' rests on historical truths and not some manufactured phrase.
However the fact of the matter is, with so many groups and communities spread out in different parts of the State, a bandh or a blockade called by one of them would automatically affect the others.
If the Meitei Pangals decide to impose a blockade at Lilong along the Imphal-Moreh stretch of NH-2, then it would effectively cut off Chandel district, including Moreh from the rest of the State. This however cannot mean that it is the 'ancestral land' factor that has come into play here.
Apply this to the course of action taken up earlier by the KSDC and the essence of this argument should become clear.
Cartographers there are a dime a dozen, if the war of maps that is being staged on the political and social turf of Manipur is anything to go by.
From the map of Greater Nagalim to Kuki State to the Manipur map that have come out from the fertile minds of the International Meitei Forum, cartographers are surely not in short supply.
It is however a different matter, if these cartographers are professionals, qualified enough to come out with an Atlas or are just politically driven artists, with a sketch pen to wield.
And so it goes that in the name of a people or a group of people or a community or an ethnic group, anyone can float an organisation and come up with grand ideas and schemes to disturb the geo-political reality that is Manipur.
Competing forces ? Sure, but the competition seems to be who can more effectively a bandh or a blockade.
This would be a laugh to any keen observer who understands Manipur.
With the KSDC already spelling out its intention, with the 'more intense this time' rider and with the UNC toying with the idea of taking their demand for an alternative arrangement for the Nagas of Manipur, pending a final settlement to the NSCN (IM)-Delhi political negotiations, to a higher plane, Manipur can expect some stormy days ahead.
To be sure, the lifelines of the people will be cut off. Over night queues in front of petrol pumps will become another salient feature in Imphal, the prices of essential commodities will sky rocket and divides amongst the people will only get more bitter.
Delhi will just look on, to complete the tamasha.
Certainly Manipur seems to have all the spices to prepare a recipe for self destruction.
And amid the self destruction there will be some elements who will find their days under the Sun, holding fort and donning the mantle of 'heroes'.
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