End of journey?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: October 11 2011 -

Tribute to (Late) MLA of Phungyar Assembly Constituency Wungnaoshang Keishing on 09 October 2011 :: Pix by Bullu Raj - Poknapham

Initially starting his career as a social worker, Wungaoshing Keishing headed various civil society organizations but seemed to have found his real calling in politics.

A cursory glance at Wungaoshing's political career spanning more than three decades reveals that he started from the ranks gradually inching his way up.

Joining the Indian National Congress in 1978, he became a member of the Phungyar Block Development Committee in 1986 and remained so till 1989.

He rapidly rose in the Congress hierarchy going on to become the Vice President of the Manipur Congress Youth Congress Committee from 1995, a post which he continued to hold till 1998. In the same year Wungaoshing Keishing became the General Secretary of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee till 2002.

Wungaoshing Keishing entered electoral politics with a bang, contesting on a Manipur State Congress Party ticket, he defeated, much against the grain, one of the most seasoned politician and former chief minister Rishang Keishing.

He went to hold various ministerial posts and also headed the Committee on Public Grievances/petition during his first term as a member of the State Legislative Assembly. He also returned successfully to the 9th Manipur State Assembly, this time as an Independent candidate supported by the United Naga Council.

Though Wungaoshing Keishing subscribed to the ideology of integration of the Nagas and was even a part of the Nagas under one administrative unit campaign as well as the severance of ties with the Manipur government move initiated by the UNC, his ties with the apex Naga body soured beyond repair shortly afterwards.

This happened when he raised the issue raising the Phungyar sub division into a full-fledged district. To the Naga bodies like the UNC and also to NSCN-IM, this is nothing less then treason.

They saw in this campaign of Wungaoshing Keishing a ploy to weaken the Naga movement for integration and consolidation under one administrative unit.

This narrative of Nagas people being divided artificially by arbitrary administrative boundaries of various states under the Indian Constitution is pitted against the narrative of territorial integrity of Manipur dating back 2000 years.

In such a contestation, both the parties would not like to present any chink to the other side and Wungnaoshing was doing just that. Though Wungnaoshing Keishing justified his demand for a full fledged district of Phungyar on the ground of bringing about development of that area which has borne the brunt of neglect over the years for various reason, including the remoteness and lack of connectivity of the region.

Many persons from Phungyar assembly constituency, as he put it, had died without getting a glimpse of Ukhrul headquarters.

But this did not cut any ice with the Naga bodies, and the NSCN-IM charged Wunaoshing Keishing of being a tool of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh's anti-Naga political game, of compromising the "rights of the Naga people and supporting the Kukis and the Meiteis who are attempting to divide Naga homeland by creating Sadar Hills District".

It took the 'transgressions' of Wunaoshing Keishing so gravely that it made an abortive attempt on his life on April 15 of this year while he was returning to Imphal after attending a HIV/AIDS awareness convention at Riha village.

Even on the day of his death, a press statement issued by the NSCN-IM warned that Wungnaoshing's mortal remains will not be allowed to be buried in 'Nagalim'.

It eventually revoked this decision following appeals from various Naga organizations as also admission of mistakes by the family of Wungnaoshing as per a statement made available to the press.

With it, the curtain came down on the short but eventful life of Wungnaoshing Keishing.

But is this the end of the story or will the campaign for a separate district of Phungyar initiated by Wungnaoshing Keishing rear its head again some time in future or will it get subsumed under the greater Naga narrative?

We will have to wait and see.