The story of Naga People's Struggles in Manipur
- Part 1 -

Lakpachui Siro *

Naga people's movement for right to self determination and subsequent armed resistance is often known as the longest armed resistance movement in South Asian region. This movement can be credited with the creation of Nagaland State in 1963 which became the 16th State of the Republic of India. But the creation of Nagaland State has left many other Naga clans or tribes and their land under different administrative units namely Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Further this division makes them minority in all the States except in the State of Nagaland. Yet, the movement still goes on.

It would not be wrong to say that this movement has created a lot of confusion among the minds of the Naga people, and this is very true especially for those Nagas who lives in the State like Manipur. Why someone would say that Nagas are confused? Nagas are confused whether to participate in Indian State or Manipur State elections or not as the Governments will read this as an act of Naga surrendering their Movement.

Nagas are also confused whether to take part in any State or Centre Governments programmes. Furthermore, Nagas, especially the civilian are confused whether they should fight for their rights—economic, social and political rights—within the framework of Indian Constitution. Now, this confusion has led to a huge lost of opportunity cost and created a situation for vested individual especially for political leaders in Manipur whether Nagas or Non-Nagas to exploit the Naga people in Manipur.

Now, linking the Naga Movement to the lost of opportunity cost needs to be substantiated with facts. Here, I would like to focus the case of Nagas in the State of Manipur as this is where maximum exploitation and the theory of Naga Movement linking to the lost of opportunity cost can be best described. Let's start with the representation of people in the State Assembly or in the Parliament. If we look back the history of Manipur State election post-independent it was first held in 1948.

In this election there were 51 (excluding 2 seats reserved for Manipur Maharaja to nominate) constituencies out of which 18 seats were reserved for the Hill Districts. This means that additional 9 constituencies were increased but that increased was confined only within the Imphal Valley districts. However, on the other hand if we see the first election in 1948 there were 5 Tangkhul Naga MLAs elected in the Assembly out of the total 51 seats contested. When Manipur got full-fledged Statehood in 1972 there were still 4 constituencies from Ukhrul District. Later on in 1974 election it was reduced to 3 seats.

Churanchapur and Senapati Districts are the only two hill districts that witnessed increased in constituencies. It is imperative to ask whether this increase in seats or decrease in seats is done according to the constitution or done illegally. If we go by the Constitution which is based on principle of proportionate representation it is certainly illegal and anti-Constitutional (Articles 330 and 332).

Let's take the example of Senapati and Imphal East District. Senapati District has 4,79,184 population as per the latest census of 2011 (2001 and 2011 census report were objected by Manipur State governments citing abnormal growth rate but finally it is now officially accepted by office of Registrar General, MHA—Order Dated 07-01-2014) and Imphal East District has 4,52,661 but the corresponding seats for Senapati is only 6 whereas for Imphal East which has lesser population has 11 seats! Is this not illegal? But why Nagas or the hill people allow this to happen and why the Centre Government is not intervening?

For the Nagas as well as the Centre indifferent, I would link it to the Naga movement which often cause confusion leading to the division among the hill people; hence it created a situation for the Imphal centric politicians to exploit the hill people. The hill people, especially the Nagas need to ask themselves, whether exercising franchise and demands of economic and political rights within the Indian State makes them a lesser Naga or amounting to giving up the movement? Most of the Indian State founding figures including Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi and the first PM Jawaharlal Nehru "work under British Empire" yet they are considered as the key figures in liberating India from the British Empire.

It is pity that leaders like Mr. Gaikhangam Gangmei current Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur advocating for the harmony and peaceful co-existence of hill and valley people in the State but instrumental along with his Chief Minister Ibobi Singh to obstruct by all means the constitutional exercise of Delimitation Commission based on 2001 census whereby the Commission had recommended for the increase of 5 constituencies in Naga dominated areas in Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel.

If he claims to be a true representative of the hill people and concerns about the peaceful co-existence of hill and valley communities, should he not work on correcting the illegal ways of maintaining differential power structure between hill and valley people in the State Assembly? A quick mathematic calculation tells us that 5 hill districts have 12,17,744 and 4 valley districts have 16,28,224 out of total 28,55,794 (discrepancy of 9826 was noted) which means the hill districts comprised of 43% approx out of the total population and the corresponding percentage for the valley districts is 57% approx.

Going by the Indian Constitution of proportionate representation, hills districts should have 25 constituencies and corresponding constituencies for the valley districts should have 34, keeping 1 seat as a buffer. This was the exact number recommended by the last Delimitation Commission based on 2001 but to the surprise of many, the President of India passed a deferment order with respect to the State of Manipur in exercising the recommendation of Delimitation Commission (8th Feb. 2008, Ministry of Law Justice, GoI), it is also to be noted that most of the reasons cited for the deferment was the argument given by the Manipur State Congress Party (MPCC) and other valley dominated political parties, such as abnormal population growth rate in hill district especially Senapati district, law and order, alienation, provide opportunity to Meitei groups to disrupt India's Sovereignty and territorial integrity of India!

The last reason was social harmony and peaceful co-existence of the people of the State. It is definitely surprising to see that Constitutional Exercise can caused law and order problem, social disharmony, alienation! Even if that be the case should we not do the constitutional exercise such as General or Assembly Election even if extremist threaten to disturb or ban the election proceeding! How many times have we seen election ban in India by various militant or armed resistance groups but the State never failed in exercising its Constitutional mandate. Therefore it is advisable that we don't play double standard politics here.

To be continued...