Robert A Silverstein
On July 9th, the Sangai Express published my first article in its paper, for which I am very grateful. It was an article on the recent demands of the NSCN (IM) (hereinafter IM) to protect the integrity of their claims in Manipuri territory, especially in the face of Kuki demands for a Territorial Council. My article was titled, “Manipur a Mirror of Nagaland,” and it was commenting on a piece by the IM which was in two newspapers on July 1st.
On July 8th, there was an article in the Sangai Express, titled, “Territorial Council should not affect our land: UNC.”
This just reiterated, but in a less threatening way, the IM's article of July 1st, making it clear that any Kuki demands would not affect any Naga demands involving the territory of Manipur. It did add one sentence that I find relevant, and not in the IM's article: it stated, “The UNC (United Naga Council) stated that traditional boundary of the 'Naga tribal people' is WELL DEMARCATED AND DOCUMENTED.” (My emphasis.)
In the article that I analyzed in my piece of July 9th, I made clear that the IM considered the whole of Manipur traditional Naga territory, and the only exception to that claim was the fact that the IM recognized the Meitei tribe as the only other indigenous tribe in Manipur, excluding the Kuki tribe and other tribes. It made clear that the Kuki tribe was indigenous only to Myanmar, which is the only place that the Kuki tribe could legitimately claim to put a Territorial Council.
One wonders what the “demarcated and documented” traditional boundaries of the Nagas are within Manipur, and whether those boundaries would match what the IM said previously about the whole of Manipur being claimed by the Nagas but for where the Meitei tribe is concentrated, thus their home as the only other indigenous tribe in Manipur.
It is my guess that the UNC, as well as the IM, which also claims to have enormous amounts of written paperwork backing up its claim, are both lying. Both have no proof of any relevance, just a bunch of ambiguous words from decades, even centuries ago, “proving” their claims.
But now to the Express Editorial of July 10th, titled, “Of Territorial Council and Nagalim: Homeland demand.”
This editorial piece implies that the IM and UNC, and also the Kuki tribe (represented by the KNO and UPF, both umbrella groups for Kuki insurgent groups) are equally selfish in not caring a bit about the state of Manipur, just interested in setting up, as the title of the editorial implies, a Homeland for each.
In the editorial it says, in part, “not one will talk about the need of respecting the geo-political entity which is called Manipur.” It also goes on to say, “Unfortunate it is but there are elements out there who will not hesitate to use this administrative convenience [the demand for Nagalim and a Territorial Council] to raise their own banner of demands to the detriment of Manipur....The interesting point is where does that leave the Meiteis and Meitei Pangals? Or do the two latter communities have no stake in the place called Manipur?”
The whole of the paragraph immediately above stinks of condescension and ignorance. It also commits the great sin of moral equivalency, in effect claiming that the IM and the Kuki tribe are equally guilty of not caring about Manipur, which is either ignorance on the part of the editorial writer or writers, or outright lies by them, as perhaps the editorial writers have their own agenda.
The IM has been threatening for decades to tear Manipur apart with Nagalim, and the only reason it has not happened yet is because the Government of India (GoI) has stopped it, using the Constitution of India to mandate that the IM will have to deal with all concerned states to try to obtain its Nagalim.
In the meantime, the Kukis, individually or in numbers, have been murdered or constantly intimidated by the IM and their thugs. Kuki tribes have been threatened with extermination if they did not join the Naga fold.
The Kukis are NOT looking for a homeland, but a Territorial Council, with the hope that the GoI, with which it has been negotiating for years, will be forced to protect them in a territorial space of their own.
It should be noted, and it is common knowledge, that the state government of Manipur has shown themselves to be useless for decades in protecting the Manipuri people.
That the Meitei people may feel excused from this mess because the IM has given them a free pass to stay in Manipur, as the only OTHER indigenous tribe, is an excuse for the Meitei people to evade any responsibility for caring about the Kuki and other tribes constantly under threat of the thugs of the IM and its representatives in Manipur.
The editorial reeks of cowardice and arrogance, indicating the Meitei tribe's satisfaction of sitting back and watching the Kuki tribe fighting for its life while they give speeches about the sacredness of the Manipur state, without risking anything to assist their less fortunate tribal brothers to make them feel a part of Manipur.
The Meitei tribe certainly doesn't have the courage to face the IM murderers in the Tangkhul area who are killing and terrorizing their own Naga people. If the Meiteis are so interested in being one state, why don't they give a damn about their fellow Nagas who hate and fear the IM as much as the Kuki tribe does ?
The reason is simple: the IM is not a direct threat to the Meitei tribe at this time and it is not about to risk the lives or well being of its members to help the Kuki tribe, or anyone else. It just has tribal representatives writing pathetic editorials like the one I have commented on today.
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