UPF observes National Re-consolidation Day
Grim comparison drawn with Seven Years Devastation
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 09 2020: Claiming that there are many among the leaders who have failed to ponder on the challenges facing the State including strong disagreements among the indigenous communities, Manipur University Professor MC Arun has expressed deep concern that similar political and socio-economic features which are similar to those of the Seven Years Devastation era have resurfaced in the State.

He was speaking as a presidium member at the National Re-consolidation Day, 2020 which was organized by United Peoples' Front (UPF), Manipur at Lamyanba Shanglen today.

The function was organized in commemoration of the 186th death anniversary of Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba (Maharaja Gambhir Singh) .

He said that unlike the case of Seven Years Devastation, no invaders or warriors would come again and attack the Manipuris now.

However, the disagreements among the various indigenous communities in the State at this point of time is a matter of grave concern as the outsiders coming to the State will dominate the indigenous people, capitalising on the internal conflicts.

UPF observes National Re-consolidation Day

Furthermore, non-Muslim migrants who entered India by December 1, 2014 would be granted Indian Citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), he continued.

Claiming that as many as around nine kings were put on the throne of Manipur during the Seven Years Devastation, he said that these kings who were all Manipuri natives had shrugged off their responsibilities in the face of the challenges prevalent at the time and they occupied the throne by seeking favour from the Ava Kingdom.

Such nature is still prevalent in the State with the presence of many leaders who never bother about the challenges facing the State but are only concerned about their posts and positions of power.

This is most worrisome as the nature of these so called leaders are quite similar of those kings who ruled Manipur during the Seven Years' Devastation under the patronage of the Kingdom of Ava.

There is a strong apprehension in the minds of the people that outside force is now trying to decide the fate of the State, be it in the administrative set up or the territorial integrity, MC Arun said.

There is an urgent need for uniting the indigenous people of the State and stand together as collective owners of the place in order to face the challenges being faced in contemporary Manipur, Arun added.

Different historical events and circumstances have evoked a serious question among the Manipur natives whether they are the real owners of the land.

Manipuris are still caught in this swirling vortex with the same situation prevailing even today.

The indigenous people, be it the hill people or valley people, are deeply worried that the huge number of non-local people who have been immigrating to the State incessantly will ultimately become the owners of the State one day.

UPF president W Second alleged that the Government of India is playing a divisive policy among the various communities in the State with vested interests.

He also said that all the indigenous communities residing in the State will fall in the hands of the outsiders and the fate of Seven Years Devastation may befall on Manipur once again, if the indigenous communities do not stop working in the vested interest of their respective communities.

Zeliangrong Union (Assam, Manipur & Nagaland) president Amu Kamei expressed dismay over leaving out the roles of hill people while writing the history of Seven Years Devastation by some historians.

He urged the historians and scholars to write inclusively about the valley and hills while documenting or writing history of the State.

Manipur Muslim Welfare Organization president Abdullah Phundreimayum while speaking as a special invitee decried that the GoI implemented CAA thereby violating Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, although the country is being claimed as the largest democray in the world.

Asserting that GoI had once claimed ILPS as an outdated regulation when the people of the State were strongly demanding its implementation, he asked why the same permit system which was once claimed as outdated is being extended to the State.

He further expressed worry that ILPS may be withdrawn from the State sometime later like Himat Singh did in 1950 when CAA is fully implemented.

Kuki Inpi, Imphal president Mangcha Haokip stressed on the need for embracing the doctrine of forgive and forget among the indigenous communities in the State while stating that the whole community cannot be blamed when a member of the same community commits something wrong.

He also opined that there is a strong need for creating awareness among the masses about the contents of ILPS.

GP Women's College Associate Professor Abdul Hakim also attended the function as a presidium member.

Paying of floral tributes in the portrait of Maharaja Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba was the main feature of the function.