Manipur - A State which is no stranger to controversies, conflicts and imbroglios, has once again slipped into a deplorable state of chaos, turmoil, and complete disarray. A bandh here, a strike there, Manipur never seems to be running out of problems, instead it always seems to be biting more than it can chew.

Of late, the indefinite Economic Blockade imposed by the ANSAM along the two lifelines of the State i.e. Imphal- Dimapur National Highway (NH) 39 and Imphal- Silchar (NH) 53, demanding the revocation of the Manipur government's declaration of June 18 as 'state integrity day' has thrown life completely out of gear, and is burning a deep hole in our pockets.

The Prices of goods and essential commodities are rocketing sky high. Though it would be really debatable on which side the blame should fall or which side should take the onus of responsibility for this 'Economic Mess and Man Made Inflation'. The two sides – The SPF Government and the students body ANSAM have been pointing fingers at each other and shifting the blame on one another, it is really hard to tell who is the sinner and who is the saint?.

The O. Ibobi Government has been working over time to find a solution and an alternative route, which is no doubt commendable. But there are a few questions which comes up to the mind which I think the Government of Manipur is liable to answer to the people

1) Why did a state like Manipur which is a home to many communities dependant only on the above mentioned two national highways to transport into the State the essential commodities required by the people?

2) Does the Government feel that finding an alternative route to ferry goods into and across the state will suffice?

3) Will finding an alternative route solve the problem – the heart of the Matter?

4) Will not desperately seeking and building an alternative route only further aggravate the feelings of the already antagonized Naga Communities of Manipur.

Let us take an over all view of the present political situation (which is always tinged with ethnic and communal loyalties) prevailing in the State and also of the recent events that eventually culminated into this 'Inflation Mess' where one as a Common Man has to go scurrying for a bag of char-coals to keep the house fire burning.

Why Charcoal in this age of technology and innovations the un-initiated and the unaware might ask? The answer is simple 'Yes Charcoal! When one has to shell out more than Rs 700 or more for a single LPG cylinder, that too in a state where the Government has the dubious record and uncanny reputation of never paying the salaries of its employees in time'. The Rich, the affluent and the privilege always find a way out. It is the common people who suffer the most.

Manipur as we know is a home to many communities – The Ethnic Cauldron of Manipur has been brewing harder for sometime now doused by communalism, separatism and ethnic loyalties. Ever since the NSCN-(IM) demanded the integration of all the Naga Inhabited Areas of the North East under one single administrative unit, as one of the pre-condition in the on going Indo- Naga talks. The territorial integrity of the State has been under a constant threat.

The Wording ' Integration of all the Naga Inhabited Area' caused a lot of furor, anger, confusion and most of all grave insecurity in the minds of those who swears allegiance to the State of Manipur and especially to the nomenclature ' Manipuri'. Fearing that Manipur was also destined to be bifurcated and was in a position to lose all its Naga inhabited Area which comprises of a major chunk of Manipur.

The Patriotic Manipuris' (cutting across communal lines) anger erupted in flames on June 18th of that fateful year, when the state assembly was consigned to flames by those protesting against the 'imminent possibility of the integration all the Naga Inhabited Area under one single administration'. The confusion and chaos that followed left 16 deaths, and the then MLA'S specifically targeted by the protestors for having shown the impression that they were not bold enough to protect the territorial integrity of the State.

During that period of major uprising of the people of Manipur especially of those in the Valley, against what they perceived as 'A Silent Conspiracy' to dissect the state on Communal and ethnic lines, songs and chorus of Hill- Valley people Solidarity, oneness and brotherhood filled the air.

Utmost care was taken by Community and Public Leaders to assert and re-assert that the Hill People were every inch a Manipuri as those living in the valley. To be more specific the punch-line of the day those weary, tiring and testing times was 'The Tribal People are no less a Manipuri than the Valley People themselves'. Leaders tried hard to paint a unified picture of the Hills and the Valley.

Though a particular exponent of a famous Manipuri Dance, whose name I will not mention here, had only a few years earlier completely denounced any connections whatsoever with the people of the Hills in a Magazine ' for the woman of substance'. The person who made that ludicrous, outlandish, silly and unreasonable comment was indeed “Not a Woman of Substance Herself!!”

The Hill and the Valley divide has always been a subject of much debate and speculation. The widening gulf between the people of Manipur living in the Hills and the Valley is plain for all to see. Linguistically, culturally, socially and religious wise too, the people living in the Hills of Manipur are more akin and close to their brothers and sisters in Mizoram and Nagaland.

History has been a mute witness to the fact that 'The Hill People' and the Hill Region had always been treated shabbily by the Successive Governments at Imphal. The Hill Region and its people had been left to fend for its own survival and have always been denied their rightful share of the State's financial pie. 'The Step-Motherly treatment', Apathy, and lack of genuine concern for the welfare of the Hill Areas has only been adding salts to the wounds and grievances of the people from this region.

And the Politicians from the Hill Region are 'scoundrels of the highest form' for they are willing to sell the interest of the people they represent for the right amount of the Indian National Rupees. And they still have the guts to call themselves Public Leaders!!

All the development funds released and sanctioned by the Central Government for the Hill Districts are lost and used up in sprucing up the roads and the many by lanes of the Imphal Municipal Area; and that too after the Ministers and the concerned Bureaucrats have siphoned off what they believed is their rightful 'illegitimate' share. There are many instances that one can quote where the treatment of the State Government of the Valley and the Hills has not been one of an Equal Music:

Let us cite a few instances to illustrate the point above

1. The State of Manipur has two Central Universities and One Regional Institute of Medical Science within its fold, could it be all co-incidences that all these premier institute of learning are located only in the valley area?
   
   What is the purpose for locating both the Agricultural University and the Manipur University in the valley area? One of these Universities could have been located in one of the Hill districts of Manipur



2. Like during the time when the State proudly hosted the National Games – the discriminatory attitude of the State Government towards the Hill Region was plain to see. All the Competitions and major events in the various disciplines of the Games were confined only to the areas in and around Imphal.
   
   And all the benefits of hosting a National Games was reaped by the people in the valley in terms of developing infrastructure for sports like Stadiums.



3. Senior and capable Bureaucrats from the Hill Regions, most of them who are members of the All India Services, were always sidelined by the Government when it was their turn to be the incumbent of top post like the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police .
   
   After the late H. Jelshyam, no bureaucrat from the Hill region has been allowed to rise to the post of Chief Secretary again. Though there were a few senior bureaucrats from the Hills who were to succeed H. Jelshyam, had only the Government of Manipur been fair enough to follow the principle of seniority.
   
   It may be relevant to mention here that Mr. H.V. Lalringa who had just completed six years of service as the Chief Secretary of Mizoram, and who will noe be the Secretary of NEC (North East Council) is an IAS officer of the Manipur/Tripura Cadre. The bottom line is that the Manipur Government will always prefer to have a non-tribal as an incumbent of the top posts in Manipur.



4. Apart from that even for top posts even in the Directorates, Commissions, Departments and Boards non tribal always have the edge over tribal officers or retired officers.
   
   'The Principle of Seniority' is Greek and Latin for the Government of Manipur. They are well versed only with one principle that is ' the principle of Cha thaknaba'