Double engine Sarkar must amp up Manipur peace efforts

The north-eastern state of Manipur which was rocked by ethnic violence last year and has since kept smoldering missed media headlines for quite some time since the start of campaign season for 2024 General Elections. Any spurt in violence which used to get some attention was mostly ignored or relegated to small reports inner pages.

On June 10, the convoy of Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh, en route to Jiribam, which was on the boil due to violence, from Imphal, was ambushed by armed militants in the Kangpokpi district. Biren Singh, the first Chief Minister from the BJP, The very act of ambushing the convoy of none other than the head of state government sent ripples across security and political establishments in the state as well as in New Delhi. The situation prompted even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to call for peace efforts in the strife-torn State. “The State had been peaceful for 10 years. It had appeared that gun culture had ended. However, who is thinking of dousing the flames that have erupted now? Peace has to be considered on priority basis,” he was quoted as saying. However, it needs mentioning that the ambush came amidst a surge of violence in the region.

Home Minister Amit Shah took stock of the situation in the state at a high-level review on Monday and discussed the way forward with security experts. Conspicuous at this key meeting on the troubled state was the absence of the CM Biren Singh himself. The Centre said it would talk to both warring groups of Meiteis and Kuki-Zo to bridge the ethnic divide at the earliest, assured Shah. Specifics of the government plan or even contours of it are not revealed, though.

For security and political observers, it is surprising that fresh violence broke out in the district of Jiribam which was unaffected by the ethnic violence. Not one but around 500 trucks carrying essential items to Imphal valley were stranded on NH-37, which connects Assam to Manipur, due to a blockade by Kuki-Zo volunteers, in retaliation against the majority Meitei community who were accused of preventing Kuki-Zos from using the national highway.

For over a year, public life remains paralysed in the state, with people suffering for want of food, water, medicines etc. Education facilities remain largely closed. Rehabilitation of the displaced people is another daunting task before the ‘double engine’ sarkars of BJP.

It may be recalled that a large-scale ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023 after a tribal Kuki solidarity march in the hill districts of the state to protest against the majority Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status. Over 200 people lost their lives, homes were razed and thousands were displaced since then.

The Central government must immediately double down on its efforts to defuse the economic blockade of the valley areas. While State and Central governments were seized of the turbulent state of affairs, equally disquieting are reports of Myanmar refugees quietly illegally settling in the state. The unauthorized settlers are said to be moving freely between Myanmar and India, exposing chinks in border security and surveillance. This news all the more stresses urgency to find a lasting solution to Manipur conundrum.

As stressed by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, a political solution is must since the policy is polarised along ethnic lines of Meiteis and Kukis. As there is no magic solution, governments must build on the gains of continuous dialogue. The Opposition must engage with the government constructively, avoiding the ugly fight in parliament and subsequent no-trust motion against the government.