Demonising Biren-Govt to balkanise Manipur
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: December 13, 2024 -

IT'S obvious that Kuki MLAs would leave no stone unturned to demonise the N Biren-led government in the state to impress upon the central leaderships and justify their demand for separate administration or union territory with legislature for retreating from their position at this juncture is bound to invite wrath of the Kuki-Ze people.

Thus, there is no surprise element when the 10 Kuki-Zo legislators of Manipur, including three cabinet minister in the Biren-led government, requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 'budgetary arrangements' to fund development projects in districts inhabited by the community, citing discrimination by the government.

Apart from staging sit-in demonstration at jantar Mantar in New Delhi aimed at drawing media attention to their cause and portraying the government of Manipur as Meetei-centric, the legislators reiterated their demand for separate administration in the form of a Union territory and called for expediting political dialogue at the earliest to resolve the ethnic conflict in the state.

Undeterred by the union government ignoring their insistence on separate administration or union territory, the 10 MLAs have been unrelenting from pursuing their agenda of balkanising Manipur on ethnic lines, as could be comprehended from the joint memorandum addressed to the PM, contending that the Kuki-Zo community has been facing discrimination at the hands of the state government, and depriving them of not just development but also essential supplies.

Contrary to the memorandum alleging that the state government has failed to ensure supply of life-saving drugs and other essential supplies to the Kuki-Zo people on diktats of radicalised (Imphal) Valley-based organisations, the ground reality is that Kuki-Zo organisations continue to lay siege on the national highways.

In fact, Kuki organisations had been obstructing the state government's efforts to resume inter-district Manipur State Transport bus service, prohibiting transportation of essential items through Kuki-dominated areas along the two national highways in Manipur sector, and had even set ablaze trucks bringing in life saving drugs and medical equipment.

Due to disruptions caused to movement of commercial vehicles, goods carriers in particular, along the highways in Kuki-dominated areas, it is but natural that the state would face shortage of essential items, including medicines.

Though objective of the Kuki organisations is to cut off essential supplies and starve the Meetei population confined in the valley districts, consequences of such a diabolic agenda had been impact almost every section of the society, including the Kuki population, for the simple reason that business operators and their warehouses are mostly concentrated in Imphal and its outskirts.

The Kuki legislators also seem to be intentionally covering up the fact that neutral communities have been decrying Kuki volunteers subjecting Naga travellers to verification process, checking and even off-loading their goods, in areas within Kangpokpi district for no valid reason.

Such unauthorised stoppage of vehicles and intense checking infuriated the Naga community, provoking Senapati-based civil organisations to bar movement of commercial vehicles for over two weeks recently.

Another incident which the Kuki MLAs can't brush aside is that few months back Rongmei organisations not only censured blockade of the Imphal-Jiribam stretch of the National Highway-37 by Kuki villagers settling along the route but also safely escorted the stranded vehicles till the valley.

As such, it is wishful thinking that the central leaders would believe in the Kuki legislators playing the victim card.