Hostile neighbour
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: November 27, 2024 -

REGARDLESS of Rajya Sabha member Leishemba Sanajaoba criticising Mizoram parliamentarian K Vanlalvena for advocating 'separate administrative units' for Meeteis and Kuki-Zo community to end the ethnic conflict, it is unlikely that civil societies and political figures in the neighbouring state would cease demonising the N Biren-led government in Manipur and the Meetei community till an amicable solution to the on-going conflict could be brought about.

Amid sporadic reports about Mizo civil bodies asking Meeteis to vacate Mizoram, MP Vanlalvena's demand for dismissal of the N Biren government in Manipur and imposition of President's rule as 'the first and immediate step' to contain the violence, is not only outright interference in the affairs of Manipur but also amount to driving wedge among the ethnic communities.

Rather than harbouring ill-will against the government of Manipur with apparent agenda to incite the Kuki-Zo communities and fan the violence, the Mizoram MP would be appreciated in case he advise Kuki leaders and legislators to strive for ending the crisis through the dialogue process taking into account that their demand for separate administration or union territory with legislature, already rejected multiple times by the central government, has only been compounding hardships of the commoners on both sides of the communal divide, apart from the on-going conflict claiming the lives of non-combatant children and women, besides displacement of thousands from their home and hearth.

The lone parliamentarian of Mizoram also seems to be naive about the complex ethnicity in Manipur, which is home to nearly 35 recognised tribes and communities, all having divergent socio-political aspirations.

As such, by contending that the Manipur crisis would end by imposing President's rule, Vanlalvena not only tried to shift the entire blame for the conflict on the government of Manipur but also intended to mislead his MP colleagues about continuous aggression by Kuki militant groups on the Meetei people taking advantage of the suspension of operation agreement signed with the government of India.

Therefore, it is but natural for MP Sanajaoba to rail at the Mizoram parliamentarian and advise him not to cross the line, stop interfering in Manipur's issues and exercise caution as a good neighbour.

In an interview with PTI, MP Vanlalvena proposed a two-step solution to end the ethnic violence in Manipur, including imposition of President's rule, and for the Centre to study the situation and demarcate land occupied by both Meeteis and tribal communities, a proposition that would unacceptable to the Nagas as well as various other communities and tribes who are not aligned with either Kuki, Naga or Meetei.

That attempts were being made to project the Biren government in poor light has also been laid bare when K Vanlalvena claimed that the 'hill tribes' can't go to the valley, and the Meeteis could no longer venture into the hill areas, instead of sharing the fact that it is only the Kuki-Zo communities who could not dare to foray in land occupied by the Meeteis as all other ethnic communities have no issue in visiting the plains.

Notably, the MP shared his controversial views weeks after Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma's disclosure about the Kuki-Zo's objective to carve out a separate nation covering territories of Bangladesh and Myanmar, thereby implying that the government of Manipur is not only facing the tough challenge to solve the ethnic crisis but also has to be on the alert to negate false narratives from leaders of a hostile neighbour.