Taking note of a very pertinent question on ‘Who actually fuelled the conflict in Manipur,’ raised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief, Mohan Bhagwat, on Tuesday, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) has responded by giving the answer as “N. Biren Singh,” the Chief Minister of Manipur.
“The violence was planned and executed by radicals of the majority community. So, the simple answer to Mr Bhagwat’s “Who is instigating the violence?” question is: Biren..,” ITLF said in a press release issued on Tuesday.
Bhagwat, while addressing the RSS Dessehra rally in Nagpur, asked if extremists across the border were involved in Manipur violence. Asserting that the Meitei and Kuki communities have been living together for many years, RSS Chief asked, “How did the violence erupt all of a sudden? The conflict benefits external forces. Are external factors involved?”
The tribal body also raised some other relevant questions which need to be answered before one can reply to RSS Chief. It questioned why there were no clashes between the majority Meiteis and Kuki-Zo tribals in all the years before the BJP and CM Biren Singh came to power. (Mr Bhagwat himself said, “Meiteis and Kukis were living together for a long time.”)
ITLF asked: “Why did Meitei’s belligerence become pronounced and quickly intensified during Biren Singh’s tenure? Why did gun-toting and hate-spewing radical groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Leepun suddenly gain prominence in the past couple of years?”
It also asks the rational behind in removing AFSPA recently only in Meitei-dominated districts and not in tribal areas. “This is bewildering since government-designated terror groups operate in the Imphal valley while armed groups in the hills are under suspension of operation with the state and centre,” said Ginza Vualzong, Spokesperson ITLF.
The Spokesperson further questioned as to why the government notification of 1966 regarding “reserved” and “protected” forests under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 was suddenly implemented in 2023, that too without following procedures laid down by the Act, which includes consulting the stakeholders.
“Why were all of the above followed by a sudden resurgence in the Metei demand for ST status, the branding of Kuki-Zo tribals as “illegal immigrants” and the blaming of tribals for the state’s drug menace?” ITLF asked, adding, “The sad truth is that the chief minister followed a majoritarian and integrationist policy on the minority on the advice of chauvinist intellectuals of his community.”
The tribal leaders’ forum claimed that what Manipur witnessed in the past few years was a highly coordinated assault on the rights and protections that tribals enjoyed under the Constitution, all in the name of preserving and extending the Meiteis’ domination of minorities.
“Ironically, it included an attempt to get a minority tag in the form of ST status. This resulted in a push back by tribals in the form of protests and rallies,” ITLF added.
