Solution first, peace later slogan : Mischievous war mongers
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 05, 2025 -

Solution first, peace later. This was the slogan coined by the Kangpokpi based Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and which was quickly lapped up by the Churachandpur based Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF).

And it is obvious that CoTU is hell bent on sticking to this fantastical slogan with their interpretation of ‘Solution’ being a Separate Administration which comes under the tag of a Union Territory.

Some elements just have no shame or conscience.

Start the ‘war’, go on a publicity blitzkrieg of peddling the victim story, play the religious card, the minority card and attempt to nullify all efforts made by the Government of India to put Manipur on the track of normalcy.

This is the game plan that has been played to near perfection since the evening of May 3, 2023.

It has always been the stand of The Sangai Express that protest against the policies and programmes of the Government can be held, for it is a right given under a democracy.

The Nagas have done it, the Meiteis have done it and before May 3, 2023, the Kuki-Chins had done it.

Remember the bloody uproar against the three Bills passed by the State Assembly back in 2015 and the bloody protests that erupted at Churachandpur.

The bodies of the people killed in police action during the uproar were claimed only after the BJP led Government seized power in the 2017 Assembly elections.

Back then, the protest was against the move of the Government and it did not pit any community against the other.

May 3, 2023 was however different, very different.

If the Tribal Solidarity March was against the ruling of the High Court which directed the State Government to send the socio-economic and ethnographic profiles of the Meitei in line with the ST for Meiteis demand put up, where was the need to target the Meitei community at Torbung and later at Churachandpur ?

Some smart Alec who identified themselves as student leaders, after a protest meeting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi recently, had the audacity to blame the Meitei community for setting on fire the Anglo-Kuki Memorial War Gate, which is located just 5 kilometres from Churachandpur town.

The logical question is, which Meitei man or woman would have had the temerity to go to a place which is just 5 kms from Churachandpur and set it on fire and remember the air was fraught with tension on May 3, 2023 as the Kuki folks were out in full strength to participate in the Solidarity March in an aggressive mode.

It would be akin to blaming the Kukis in the event of the Kangla fort being vandalised by some unidentified elements !

This in brief is the reality and how Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023 and it should be more than clear that the elements responsible for keeping the wheels of violence churning has become bolder and bolder by the day.

This point should not blow over the heads of the Union Home Ministry and Raj Bhavan.

It is not clear how Delhi or Raj Bavan would respond to the challenge thrown down by the CoTU but opening up the National Highways will need an iron hand as well as a firm determination.

In the nearly 24 months of the violence erupting, New Delhi and the Central security forces, particularly the Assam Rifles must be wise to the tactics employed by the Kuki frontal organisations and one wonders whether the lessons learnt since May 3, 2023 would come in handy now.

With PR firmly in place, New Delhi seems intent on delivering the message that there is a Government in place and surely the National Highways cannot be the playing field of any organisation or any community.

Raj Bhavan has already started cracking the whip against all illegal arms and opening the highways should obviously be the next step to be taken up.

In the process, dilute the understanding of buffer zones and ring out the message that violence of any sort would not be tolerated.

For over 21 months Manipur has seen enough of muscle flexing exercises, with the powerful ones throwing their weight around and toying with the sentiments of the common folks.