COCOMI urges Rahul's intervention, revelation of truth
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 08 2024: The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) met with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during the latter's visit, discussed the current conflict in the state for around half an hour and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention in resolving the crisis in the state as well as to reveal the truth behind the conflict.

In the memorandum, COCOMI said that in the last 14 months, the Manipur crisis has emerged as one of the most unfortunate events in the history of independent India.

Despite frequent and fervent attempts by opposition members of Parliament to bring the Manipur issue to the forefront, the ruling government has continually ignored the sufferings of the people of Manipur.

Recently, the Prime Minister broke his long silence on the matter in the Rajya Sabha, but his portrayal of the Manipur crisis as merely a communal or ethnic conflict between two groups has sparked further controversy.

His statements suggested that such conflicts are a natural habit of the state, even referencing the ten instances of President's Rule in Manipur, hinting that communal riots are inherent to the Manipuri people, COCOMI rued.

In light of the government's failure to grasp the true nature of the crisis, COCOMI has seized this rare opportunity to present the memorandum, aiming to highlight the truth of the situation and urge decisive actions to resolve the crisis, it mentioned.

The memorandum emphasised that the core issue in Manipur today is not simply an ethnic clash but rather the visible absence of state authority and the withholding of legitimate force against the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists.

These terrorists, in collusion with heavily armed Kuki militants, have been continuously attacking civilians living in the foothills.

The ethnic clash narrative has emerged as a direct consequence of the lack of action from central security forces, who are supposed to assist state forces in protecting citizens' lives and property.

In the absence of protection from legitimate state forces, citizens are compelled to defend themselves, which has been wrongly portrayed as a clash between two communities.

Intellectuals have begun to see this prolonged conflict as a proxy war by the government of India, pursuing national interests in containing armed rebellion groups and gaining leverage in the Myanmar civil war.

This paradox of sacrificing Indian citizens' lives and property in the northeast for national interest has raised questions about neo-colonialism and the idea of "lesser Indians" in post-independent India.

This legacy, stemming from the early post-independence era of Sardar Patel, suggests that even after 70 years of independence, the fear of emotional integration persists in the minds and policies of emerging superpower India, the memorandum said.

In this context, COCOMI has made several urgent requests to Rahul Gandhi.

They implored him to thoroughly examine the truth of the current Manipur imbroglio and to communicate these findings to the citizens of India and the international community.

They stressed the need for the Indian state to recognise the illegitimacy of sacrificing citizens' lives and property under the guise of national interest, call ing for immediate action to contain the armed terrorists by mobilising central security forces to protect the people.

Additionally, COCOMI urged the government to allocate necessary budgetary support to compensate for the substantial losses suffered during the crisis.

Finally, they emphasised the importance of implementing bold measures to restore mental relief and trust in the sincerity and integrity of the national leaders among the citizens living in the marginalised regions.

COCOMI looks forward to Rahul Gandhi's able leadership and boldness in striving for a united Republic of India, where each state enjoys its own space of freedom as enshrined in the Constitution of India, the memorandum added.

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