Posers over the identity of a Manipuri : The irony of the divides
- Sangai Express Editorial :: September 20, 2013 -

From Greater Nagalim to Alternative Arrangement.

From waging a bush war against the Government of India to now inking the Suspension of Operation pact and raising the banner of Kuki State.

From laying out a Meitei map that goes as far as Assam and the neighbouring countries to now the demand that the Meiteis should be conferred Scheduled Tribe status.

Nagas, Meiteis, Kukis.

Three major ethnic groups of the State emerging as competing forces. The divide seems to run deep.

Yet at the same time again the divide seems to be very artificial.

A point which can be easily discerned at the interaction between the different groups of people at the individual level.

But take this to a higher plane, the political sphere and the divide seems insurmountable. This is where the irony lies.

How has situation come to such a pass ? Historical baggages ?

Or a situation created deliberately by the different power players, who have something to gain by playing the divide and rule policy, a legacy inherited from the British and pursued with renewed vigour in this age ?

What are the issues that are at stake here ?

Claims on land and territory and the share in the State’s booty ?

A feeling that certain sections of the people have been deprived of their rights ?

These feelings, whether founded on the reality or on some agenda cut both ways.

The hill people, that is the Nagas and the Kukis have come under the impression that they have been sidelined in the State of Manipur while the Meiteis believe that they are at the receiving end of numerous laws, particularly the law which prohibits them from settling in the hill areas while the tribals are allowed to settle in the valley area.

A clear indication that none of the three major stakeholders are ready to really identify themselves with the place called Manipur, each laying down their own political agenda and flexing muscles on their own turfs.

At the moment there seems to be no meeting point.

But will this ultimately translate or morph into a flash point ?

Only time will tell, but a mature approach to the issues is what the situation warrants.

In the competing forces raising their voices vociferously and often laced with hatred and innuendoes, lies the absence of a leader with a pan Manipur appeal.

In other words, there has not emerged a leader, especially a political leader, who can be identified as the leader standing up for the interest of all the different communities.

So it is that the United Naga Council has repeatedly dubbed the Government of Manipur as communal.

An idea or a term which can be attributed to the fact that the first among equals is a Meitei.

Likewise, no leader from the hills has been able to project himself as a leader of the State, cutting across the valley and hills divide.

The efforts of Deputy Chief Minister Mr Gaikhangam to carve out an image of a man who can bridge the divide between the hills and valley is taken note of but how successful has he been in this endeavour is open to debate.

After all a leader is not only about what he speaks at the public podium but how he manages to take the whole people, the Nagas, the Kukis and the Meiteis in this case, along with his idea of a Manipur.

Herein arises an important question and that is the identity of a Manipuri.

Who is a Manipuri ? Unfortunate but this term has become more and more synonymous with only the Meiteis.

Why is this so is a question worth pondering.