Indian Constitution, polity creating enmity: PREPAK-Pro
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 31 2023:
Ahead of its 13th Progres-sive Day on June 1, chairman of the proscribed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak-Progressive (PREPAK -Pro) Longjam Paliba M paid his highest respect and grat-itude to all the brave sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives in the liberation struggle for an indepen-dent Kangleipak.
Apart from sharing grief and sor-row of families affected by the on-going unfortunate conflict on behalf of the outfit, Paliba also shared his views on the present crisis situation recounted history of Manipur as a sovereign nation prior to the 'forc-ible' merger into India.
According to the chairman, Indian Constitution does not have provisions of self-governance based on their socio- political cultures for those once independent nations like Manipur.
The fate of Manipur is unpredictable as India happens to be an 'indestruc-tible union of destructible states', the question arises whether to find solution for the present crises within this discriminatory constitution or finding out the truth by understand-ing Manipur's own history.
The Brit-ish as well as the Indian State having no knowledge of the long history of Manipur eventually paved the way for the rupture of the historically integrated social fabrics.
There were no oppressive records as the then Meitei Kings gave full autonomy to the various ethnic communities.
The harmonious cultural bondage between inter-com-munities was slowly fractured with the introduction of ad-ministrative system of British and India.
With the end of Khongjom War, the British occupied Manipur and wanted to avenge the Meiteis.
Keeping this in their mindset, the Brit-ish began formulating policies that were detrimental to the unity of Manipur as a nation.
As far as the present Ma-nipur is concerned, the nar-co-terrorist war lords of some communities must know the geographical reality that the valley and the hills are insepa-rable as its history and culture are bonded topographically.
Therefore, any attempt to challenge this reality will be ferociously resisted by the Meiteis as it is becoming the existential crisis for them, the PREPAK -Pro chairman observed.
According to Longjam Paliba M, Manipur is a na-tion which was formed with the unification of numerous ethnic groups through a long process of history and those who question this reality are blindfolded by the influenc-es of Western religion and Colonial rule.
In fact, there was no concept of tribal in the independent Manipur.
In the Manipur Constitution Act 1947, which was drafted and enacted by all the repre-sentatives of different ethnic communities, the word 'Hill People' was mentioned and the concept of tribal was not at all mentioned.
However, the Indian government with the continuation of British policy began segregation of numer-ous ethnic communities as scheduled areas/tribal areas as its usual disguised devel-opment policy.
Such biased political policies led to the division of lands in various demands such as Autonomous Council and Separate Admin-istration.
India, completed 73 years of independence, is now fifth as a developing nation.
According to the Indian Constitution's ST criteria, only the tribes of An-daman and Nicobar Islands are qualified to be in the Sched-uled Tribes List.
Will it not be better for us to find a new path for a common future for all the ethnic communities? Leaving aside the pros and cons of Hinduism, the question of patriotism has nothing to do with religion as it was shown by Mahara-ja Gambhir Singh, a devout Hindu, who shouted 'Glory to Lord Govindaji' at the banks of Chindwin river when he defeated and drove the then Burmese invaders beyond the river.
Most of the fighters in the Anglo- Manipuri War of 1891 and those of two Nupi Lal were all Meitei Hindus.
The present enmity amongst the people of the nation is due to the ripple effect of the politicized Constitutional protection concept.
Having said this, those who follow imported religions should re-member the deceitful methods of Shantidas Gosai who began the infamous 'Puya Meithaba.
by entangling the then Meitei rulers.
Therefore, desecra-tion of holy places associated with Manipur people's his-tory and indigenous religion should not be undertaken, Longjam Paliba M said adding that people of the land shall not denigrate the Sanamahi religion, as it is a universal religion not only confined to a particular community.
It is a religion which does not have the concept of religious war, assimilation or prosecution.
Just as in Hinduism, the idea of universe as a wave particle in quantum Physics and the famous 'Big Bang Theory' are also found in Sanamahism and Meitei Puyas.
We should not undervalue our tradition and religion, he added.
To be continued .
Comment
