RPF chief calls for united struggle
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 24 2012: President of the proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) Irengbam Chaoren has observed that the armed revolutionary movement being witnessed in Manipur has its roots in the political conflict between Manipur and India.

However, it is being transformed into an internal conflict within the nation state of Manipur following tactful employment of local elements against the revolutionary movement by GoI.

In a message to the people on the occasion of Independence demand day (February 25), Chaoren maintained that to complete this transformation, GoI has recruited a large number of our people into their security establishments and related units taking advantage of the sheer large volume of unemployment in the State.

As a result, the politico-military conflict is slowly taking new characteristics of internecine killings and communal polarisation.

Chairen further maintained that what initiatives taken up by the Manipur Government in the name of bringing a solution to the revolutionary movement have been only adding fuel to the fire of turmoil which is fast engulfing the whole society instead of heralding any chance of peace.

"While the people have been facing extra burden due to the overwhelming number of revolutionary groups, GoI has been nurturing many new pseudo revolutionary groups which are directly straining the inseparable bond between our people and revolutionaries", Chaoren alleged, and added that those activities which give undue harassment to people in the name of revolutionary groups are actually perpetrated by security forces and they are included within the schemes of things planned by GoI and executed at their command.

Moreover, the rogue security personnel drawn from our own society are given extra perks for harassing people, he further alleged, adding that it is time for the people to persuade the political class to retract from their misplaced policies and stop them from doing anything that has potential to muddy the revolutionary movement.

"RPF never sees our ruling political class, bureaucrats and Manipuri people working in security forces as its enemy, and there is no question of attacking them deliberately.

To RPF, all these sections of people are also suffering under the Indian rule together with the mass, and we are hopeful that they would one day join the mass and fight against India.

When we see them as our own blood brothers and avoiding all possible situations of confrontation, they have been siding with imperialist India and directly challenging the revolutionary movement.

Their deliberate act of overlooking the fraternal bond and choosing the path which goes against the movement often create situations of animosity amongst us.

Before this sense of animosity aggravates and a disastrous internecine war breaks out, it is a bounden duty for all of us to correct their malicious thoughts and bring them back to the right path", Chaoren observed.

He went on to maintain that all the repressive measures perpetrated by thoughtless Indian security personnel including custodial killings are no longer a secret to the international community.

Quoting that as per a report of the Human Rights Commission, 1,500 people die in police custody every year in India, Chaoren asserted that on account of such notorious record, there were cases when many Indian security men, both working and retired were denied entry in some countries.

"In Manipur, to avoid harsh criticisms against custodial deaths, security forces have devised a sinister mechanism called Fake Encounter to eliminate people in cold blood without any sort of trial.

Summary killings in the guise of fake encounters cannot be concealed for good and there would come a time when all those accused in such killings must stand in the dock.

For this reason, Manipuri people working in Manipur Police and other security establishments should not emulate rogue Indian security personnel or stand against humanity", he added.

On the impact of incessant influx of non-Manipuris, Chaoren maintained this has severely affected demography of Manipur and native people now face a grave threat from these immigrants.

"Already, it has been reported that immigrants now constitute almost one-third of the total population of Manipur.

Given their high birth rate, it is most probable that the immigrants would outnumber indigenous population of Manipur after some years.

This would bring about drastic changes in the socio-political set up of Manipur.

Political power would fall in the hands of immigrants and they would attain over lordship over the indigenous communities", the RPF President expressed concern.

Out of the 700 crore (approximately) population of Earth, Indians constitute the overwhelming bulk of 121 crore.

A few years hence, India would overtake all other countries as the most populous country in the world.

Such a situation evokes one inevitable question.

It's only natural for a populous country to spread their population to other countries in accordance to their own convenience.

Given the salubrious climate and plenty of self employment avenues available in Manipur, the influx of Indians into Manipur is understandable, Chaoren said, adding that indigenous people must not give any undue advantage to the immigrants to make permanent settlement in the State.

Maintaining that all the indigenous economic institutions and commercial patterns prevalent when Manipur was a sovereign nation have been systematically uprooted in the last 60 years since Manipur was annexed, Chaoren pointed out that there is no sign of replacing the old economic institutions with a modern, viable economic.

"The present situation of economic dependence and the subsequent concept "Manipur cannot survive without aid from India" inculcated among the indigenous people are results of the colonial captive market economy nurtured over the years.The fundamental objectives of this economic system is to destroy all indigenous economic institutions, develop a culture of dependence and groom a class of people who believe in the colonial regime", Chaoren contended, addind that this is exactly what is being witnessed in our society today.

"The prevailing economic system based on construction of roads, bridges, drains and Government offices only benefits these class of people but there is no scope for collective well being and development.

The economic model being put into practice today in the name of development, and its objectives are not for welfare for the indigenous people.

The same model is aimed at benefitting only the Indians.

In fact, Loktak Hydro Electric Project, Ithai Barrage Project, et al.

were also envisaged and taken up by keeping benefits to Indians in mind.

The same is true for the controversial Tipaimukh Project", he said.

"In addition, GoI, in the name of development has been actively engaged in destroying several sources of our people's livelihoods and is instrumental in recklessly disturbing ecology and environment of the land.

It is crucial to fight for independence to save our land and our people from the scourges of Indian rule", Chaoren said, adding "We are of the firm belief that only perseverance and unyielding struggle can propel the ongoing revolutionary movement to a higher level" .

"Again, India appears to have grown strong because it has received blessing of some powerful countries.

It is only a matter of time that India will meet the same fate as Indonesia.

During its war with East Timor, Indonesia, apart from the heavy casualty suffered by its military, had to spend 360 million dollars every year.

Indonesia's expenditure to such magnitude resulted in serious economic crisis within the country and it earned infamy from all over the world compelling it to free East Timor.

India would face similar situation in its war with Manipur and it would be ultimately constrained to vacate Manipur", Chaoren said.

He further observed that RPF has full faith in the activities of CorCom which was set up by seven revolutionary groups having similar principles and objectives and this landmark event of forming CorCom would elevate the revolutionary movement to a heightened trajectory.

CorCom would enable a collective struggle not only with revolutionary groups based in neighbouring States but also with all friendly revolutionary groups opposed to the Indian regime against the common enemy under a new strategy.

Chaoren noted that it has been universally accepted that a country can embark on a path of development and progress only when it is independent and there is an elected, responsible Government.

We have seen many colonised countries marching on the path of progress and socio-economic security after achieving independence and establishment of elected Governments of their own.

But in Manipur, it has become a matter of serious concern that some people seemingly have no grudges to live under foreign occupation.

They seemed to have adopted a bizarre notion that there can be freedom even under foreign occupation.

Notwithstanding the fact that Manipur was a sovereign nation for more than 2000 years, there have been drastic changes in the ethos and social character of Manipuri people during the relatively short period of Manipur's association with India.

Given the degree of changes witnessed during the last 60 years or so, it is possible that Manipuri society may transform to such an extent that nobody would ever recognise there once existed a distinctive nation called Manipur a few years hence, Chaoren maintained.

The so-called popular Government formed by elected representatives of the State is not a popular Government in the real sense of the term.

This is, in fact, a Government formed by GoI in collaboration with a small minority of people so as to keep Manipur under their occupation for many more years.

The so-called representatives are only proxies who are only managing the colonial regime under strict instruction from New Delhi.

The Government of Manipur has no authority of its own and it cannot act outside the instructions given by New Delhi.

There is nothing our people can expect from the puppet Government.

For all these reasons, it is our inescapable duty to build a sovereign Manipur where we are governed by our own representatives without any diktat or interference from external forces, he added.

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