Tearing Manipur apart socially : The idea of a Manipuri
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 30 2015 -
Tearing Manipur apart. This is basically what the very set of people who call themselves indigenous people of the land are doing.
Ironic it is, but it stands that a movement which was launched to protect the indigenous people of the land from the large scale influx of non-local people has today become an issue which is threatening the very idea of Manipur as a geo-political entity.
A classic case of everyone speaking on behalf of their own community instead of standing up for something known as Manipur.
And so it is that while there are many championing the cause of the Meiteis, the Nagas and the Kukis, there obviously is no one who is ready to stand up for something called Manipur.
Extend this observation a little more and this should explain why there are so many Meiteis, so many Nagas and so many Kukis, but hardly any Manipuri.
Each speaking on behalf of his or her own community and what one sees today is the clash of interest amongst all these communities, who are otherwise known as the indigenous people of Manipur.
Difficult to say when and how things came to such a pass, but more than apparent that it is the fruition of everyone pursuing their own selfish agenda without giving a thought to the land and the people.
A point which is underlined by the fact that young students had to lose so many days during the pro-ILP movement in the valley and now in the hills in the movement against the three Bills passed by the State Assembly on August 31.
No point going into the merits or demerits of the voices of opposition raised against the three Bills passed by the State Assembly.
Again no point in passing an opinion on the demand raised to arrange a separate administrative set up for the tribals or hill districts of Manipur.
But however it stands that all these demands do nothing but challenge the existence of Manipur as a geo-political entity.
Today it is the hill districts, particularly Churachandpur, which is literally burning and rewind some time back or more precisely to the period before August 31 and it was the valley.
The only losers have been the people but who cares ?
Remember during any prolonged period of agitation it is the poorer people, especially the daily wage earners, who stand to lose the most.
It was the same thing when the valley was paralysed for days and now it is the turn of the hill districts.
A vicious cycle it is and there is nothing to rejoice over this.
An issue which should have brought the people together has today sown the seeds of divide and this is the time now for everyone to seriously think about the future of the land and the young children.
For too long, selfish or misplaced agenda have driven the people of the land and what is happening today is the stoic refusal to accept this.
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