The greatest setback and disease for the tribes of Manipur
is their division. The Nagas and the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes are never united on
any issue and the lack of unity between these two big tribal groups has been
exploited time and again by the dominant Meitei community.
Opposing the delimitation exercise based on census 2001
directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court (SC) is the latest challenge to the
tribes thrown by the dominant community. They are trying their best to deny the
tribes three assembly seats likely to be added to the hill districts in “hill
areas” from the valley districts based on the principle of proportionate
representation as enshrined under the Constitution. The delimitation exercise
ordered by the SC in respect of Manipur, which should have taken place right
after the 2001 Census along with the rest of the country, is limited to
realignment and adjustment of assembly constituencies. However, the Meitei
community has taken a stand to deny the tribes their constitutional rights by
submitting petitions and mounting political pressure to obstruct and stop the
implementation of the SC’s direction.
The tribes have already lost 20 plus years of proportionate
representation since 2001 Census and could even lose the remaining period
before the next nation-wide delimitation exercise on account of the political
campaign being carried out by the dominant community to deny the tribes their
constitutional rights. The opposition by the dominant community can be viewed
as a challenge to the tribes to test how they can fight back. If the tribes
allow the dominant community to ride roughshod over this issue now, they could
use the same excuse when the population figures of first census after year 2026
are published. The next census data is likely to witness tectonic demographic
changes; the signs of which has started becoming evident from census 2001.
The dominant community, sensing the demographic change which
may impact on the apportionment of proportionate representation between the
valley districts and the hill districts in “hill areas” have started to blame
the increase in population of the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes to the presence of
immigrants and have demanded NRC. As regards population figures of census 2001,
the dominant community is not accepting the population figures of census 2001
already rectified by office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner of
India. On one pretext or other, obstructions are raised by the dominant
community at every opportunity to deny the tribes their constitutional rights
and this attitude is beginning to look unreasonable and is driving the tribes
towards breaking point. The tribes have started questioning how long they can
tolerate such devious and manipulative tactics and think of peaceful and
harmonious coexistence.
The strategy of the dominant community has always been
exclusion and not inclusion and this is driving the tribes away from thoughts
of coexistence. Coexistence means sharing power, resources, and inclusive
governance and development. How can the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes be blamed for not
wanting to be part of Manipur when ethnic cleansing has already taken place in
Imphal, the capital city of Manipur and they are not able to return to Imphal
for more than two years? They have no physical participation in the administrative,
legislative and judicial organisations situated in the capital city. Carrying
out administrative functions and duties through online computer systems from
locations other than their place of office is a farcical exercise. No tours or
physical spot inspections of works and projects are taking place as certain
communities, Meitei and Chin-Kuki-Zo, cannot go to territories controlled or
inhabited by warring communities and this has become the perfect recipe for
furtherance of corrupt practises and non-implementation or poor outcomes of
schemes, programmes and projects. How long can this sham be allowed to go on?
The calm prevailing now is deceptive. There is no rule of
law and no assurance that chaos will not prevail again. The society is tethering
at the edge of a precipice and any adverse outcome can plummet the State into
the pit. The rot is setting in fast as mindsets remain intransigent and
different tribal groups are thinking that the idea of Manipur as a single
entity will not work anymore. This line of thought is gaining traction, as the
dominant community has no desire to share power and show magnanimity. There may
be leaders who may think that the best strategy is to exhaust the tribal people
into submission, but this will not work as the tribal people are resilient.
They will weather out the storm and bid their time. Besides, this is a bad
strategy and may breed extremism.
Some Naga organisations have urged the Hon’ble Governor for
implementation of the SC direction. Considering the influence of the dominant
community over the authority and the pattern of responses witnessed in the
past, mere petitions of the tribes may not be enough to make the government
resolve to implement the direction of the Hon’ble SC. The apex organisation of tribes
should consider stepping up their own game of applying more pressure for the
authority to follow the rule of law and not bow down to political pressure of
the dominant community. This could become a test for the current impartial
authority under President’s rule on whether it will uphold the provision of the
Constitution which the Hon’ble SC has directed for implementation or whether
they will bow down to the pressure of the dominant community to pacify them at
the expense of minority tribes.
The hour is not too late for the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes to join
the apex Naga organisations and take a stand on the issue of delimitation
exercise based on census 2001 population data as the outcome of the SC
direction will have its impact on the next census operation and the
delimitation exercise that will follow thereafter.
The political thinking is changing as the Nagas are getting
disappointed and dejected with the mindset of the dominant community who
continue to carry out their vicious campaign of denying everything that would
benefit the tribes and pay only lip service for peaceful coexistence, while all
their actions betray their chicanery.
The dominant community have been employing every conceivable
tactics to prevent benefits to the tribes in “hill areas”, besides trying to
grab tribal lands from “hill areas” including making attempts to become ST,
proposing to redraw district boundaries between valley and hill districts on
the ground of administrative convenience to grab tribal land, attempting to extend
MLR&LR Act to “hill areas” to facilitate ownership of tribal lands by
non-tribals, attempting to dilute Article 371-C which protects various rights
of the people living in “hill areas” to grab land, denying Sixth Schedule to
“hill areas” to keep them oppressed and marginalised, and now mounting
political pressure to deny implementation of a constitutional provision
directed by Hon’ble SC to keep them subjugated.
The apex organisation of both tribal groups should unite and
pitch their efforts unitedly against this latest affront of obstructing
implementation of delimitation exercise based on census 2001 to test the
sincerity of the dominant community on their slogan of coexistence. Although
the benefit of delimitation exercise, if implemented, may witness just one
election benefit, it is the stand on the principle that counts. The tribes
should not be swayed by the often simplistic thinking with a self-defeatist thought
that the current delimitation is too trivial a matter as the bigger
delimitation exercise is just a few years away and this fight is not worth the
effort. This is exactly what the dominant community is implying. Absolutely
wrong! Nothing on matters of principle is too small or trivial. This is a
matter of principle and the tribes have a unique opportunity to stand unitedly
on an issue where they can display their solidarity to the adversary whose
intention is to suppress, oppress and subjugate the tribes.
In the fast changing political scenario, if the two tribal
groups find common goals and fight together unitedly, none of the challenges
before them will be insurmountable. Burying their ego and past to work together
on a common issue would increase the chances of success. Do it for the sake of
solidarity!
