Why meiteis should not be scheduled as tribe
- Part 3 -

Kulajit Maisnam *

By swallowing up the professional opportunities of the highlanders the Committee is engineering a situation where the highlanders do not even get the 'outward' respect they enjoy.

What about the political division? The demand committee has not rolled out any such operational plans till now. Probably they do not have, or maybe they also know that by ST status there cannot be any democratic radical political restructuring apart form a coercive 'unison'. Political division need not be removed by 'unification' but it can be addressed by distribution of power.

The highlanders have been governing themselves within their own organic polity parallely with the 'glorious' two thousand years old Meitei 'civilisation'. (Mind you having a 2000 written history does not mean that these highlanders are people without history. It is just a matter of how knowledge of the past is stored). And the then pre-colonial relation between them and the Meiteis is of truce and alliances and sometimes of subjugation.

Now the anarchic arrangement of the geo-political region Manipur was dismantled by modern nation-state leading to a situation where even arrangement of a just federation is doubtful. I am more doubtful about the arrangement which can be made under a scheduled state looking into the demographic context of Manipur and the larger political framework of India. If Administration is 'unified' the division will go away is the thesis the Demand Committee subscribes to of which the highlanders will fight tooth and nail.

As mentioned in the beginning the political framework India has given to us breeds majoitainism (they regret Manipur having two members of parliaments but is blind to the same representation system in Manipur) without addressing these core issues there cannot be a cohesive Manipur 'state'. The issues in Manipur are of unequal power sharing among the nationalities. When the hills are demanding more autonomy is committee is talking of 'unified administration'?

Land has been central to hill valley conflict, particularly with the Chin-Kuki groups and Meiteis mainly because of the demographic arrangements between these two communities (what adjoins to the Meitei areas are the Chin-Kuki groups, which has its history of such demographic arrangements). The most contentious of all is the MLR and LR 1960 which has gone through many amendments, the latest being the seventh amendment bill in 2015 as part of ILPS which is pending and which has become the bone of contention among the highlanders especially the Chin-Kuki groups.

The intentions of the state to bring a uniformity in distribution of land throughout the State has been vehemently opposed by the highlanders from the beginning owing to the differences in in the traditional land ownership pattern. What will be the arrangement of land relations under the proposed Tribal State?

The arguments of geographically small but having the maximum population ratio valley, is accommodating the highlanders and is the opposite in highlands has been central to the ongoing debate. And Meiteis will be able to settle in highlands has been another 'catchy' promise if they are scheduled as tribe. A slight coercive move to have a 'uniform' land law will have a serious catastrophe. Uniformity in an heterogeneous society will be hegemonic and undemocratic.

It is not the uniformity which is required but accepting and appreciating differences to build a harmonious and cohesive society. Remember Rome was not build on a day. Nation building is a process. It takes time, and has to build democratically not by coercion. One of the best ways to bring harmony and cohesiveness is establishing a kinship relationship of which I have a doubt that among the feudal chauvinist members of the Demand Committee there will be no one who will agree to inter community marriages, especially allowing their meritorious 'daughters' to marry a highlander (in a patrilineal setup incoming of women of different caste/tribe/race is comparatively accepted, which is also very minimal among the Meiteis).

As in the case of Indian caste system as inter caste marriage has been suggested to end caste system in India, and no affirmative actions has till now radically challenged the caste practice also. Inter community marriage is one good way as compared to 'ST status' to bring the so called 'emotional integrity'.

Coming to the point of 'protecting' Meitei Land, from whom the Meitei land is going to be protected? From the highlanders? Or from the 'encroachment' by the Maynags? Protection of land by the constitution of India is a deceit. There is enough constitutional 'leeway' to grab land and resources. Unfortunately, the most plundered areas have been the scheduled tribe areas of India.

Both in scheduled tribe status and Protection of Manipur People's Bill 2015 the land and resources cannot be protected from plundering in the name of 'larger national interest' (at least in PMP 2015 you have the provision of regulating migrants). Land and resource plundering is guided by the current political economy of India and rules/laws are set accordingly. Even looking into Manipur, the state is 'borrowing' to develop 'infrastructure' by displacing population (even in the hills). You borrow money to displace people is the new 'development'.

Who and how one will pay the debt? From whom again the fund is going to be collected to repay? Of course by downsizing of government sectors, and again who will suffer? The only thing left one can seek is equitable share from exploitation of resources (never think this is going to happen in current political economy of India). You might get rid of the 'shabby' mayangs from Manipur but you cannot get rid of the suited and booted mayangs controlling the economy for whose the Union of India operates by becoming Scheduled Tribe or by just having a mere regulation like PMP 2015.

It is being said that The ILPS is rejected by the highlanders, yes it is true, but the prime question is when and where has the Highlanders endorsed the Meitei demand for ST? Let me forcefully reiterate again that the 'promises' made by the Demand Committee has no possibilities of institutionalising it in Manipur by Meiteis becoming ST or announcing Manipur as tribal state apart from the educational and professional opportunities to the few Meitei elite sections.

The Demand Committee has not dealt properly with certain nuances and intricacies of their 'promises' nor rolled out a proper operational schemas and viability of their 'promises' which is mutually acceptable and agreeable to 'everyone' (which I am sure the committee does not have). Let us not fool our self by the rhetoric of these chauvinist. Our state, our society is being put into a colosseum by a few elite section of Meiteis for their greed, where Delhi will enjoy the scene, a spectre no one wants. The Pan-Manipur movement for democracy is beyond the 'piecemeal solutions'.

(Concluded ....)