Emerging geo-politics and what it portends Call for Nationhood
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It may or will not amount to much, but now it is there on record that the Chief Minister of Mizoram in a recent trip to the United States had called for the amalgamation of Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities spread across the three countries of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh and underlined his observation with the words, ‘We are one people-brothers and sisters-and we cannot afford to be divided or live apart from one another...we have been unjustly divided, forced to exist under three different Governments in three different countries, and this is something we can never accept.’ This coming from a former IPS officer and now serving as the Chief Minister of Mizoram who had taken the oath to protect and preserve the integrity of the Nation and clearly the bigger game plan of the Kuki-Chin groups is emerging more and more clear. Delhi may or may not respond to the report carried by some newspapers and news agencies but here is a case of a serving Chief Minister undermining the sovereignty of the country and take the declaration of the ousted premier of Bangladesh some time back that a plan is afoot to carve out a Christian Nation under the patronage of the United States in the region comprising of territories carved out from India, Bangladesh and Myanmar and the dots can be connected to form a pattern. Geo-politics, this is a term which has been used by many in Manipur to explain the manner in which the ethnic clash here has been allowed to drag on for so long and see this term against what the former premier of Bangladesh has had to say, the recent proclamation of the Mizoram Chief Minister in the United States, the cloud of confusion created over the validity of the Suspension of Operations pact and one can see a pattern emerging out of the all round confusion created wilfully. The confusion over the status of the SoO pact may be understood in the backdrop of the more recent proclamation of Chief Minister N Biren that the pact is still in force while Delhi has been silent on whether the pact has been extended or not after its validity expired on February 29 this year. It is this reality that Manipur should be awake to and then respond to the demand of the reality accordingly. However it is not clear whether this reality has really sunk into the consciousness of the people or not. Even as news of the transcript of the Mizoram Chief Minister was carried in a seven column lead story, The Sangai Express also carried a prominent story of the civil society organisations of Senapati having decided to go ahead with a blockade on the highway in protest against the ‘inaction’ of the State Government to rein in the culprits responsible for assaulting and robbing two Poumai youths on October 31. Don’t step on the wrong toes of anyone were the words of caution that had been sounded earlier but as things stand right now, it is evident that there are some power players who are not bothered about the outcome of their reckless behaviour.
Manipur should acknowledge the reality. Those who stand against the very existence of the place have been able to take their case to the floor of the European Parliament. Manipur is yet to get over the false narratives that have been spelt out before the country and the world at large and now it is the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State who has had the gumption to call for the creation of a Nation in the region by dismembering Manipur and parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Not that this would have any tangible impact on the region, but it is time to wake up to the geo-politics at play here and respond to the unfolding situation accordingly. At the moment, a number of educated, young people have woken up to the damages caused by the false narratives and have taken it upon themselves to neutralise the falsities that have been peddled with so much finesse. Their contributions too should be noted and it is time to acknowledge that the battle is fought not only with guns and sheer physical strength but also in other fields. This is where the contributions of people who stand firm by the idea of Manipur should be acknowledged. In doing this, it is also equally important that Manipur or rather the Meiteis try to reach out and make friends as much as possible and the first step should be to ensure that communities which are not part of the ongoing feud are not unnecessarily harassed. This should be the bottomline.
Manipur should acknowledge the reality. Those who stand against the very existence of the place have been able to take their case to the floor of the European Parliament. Manipur is yet to get over the false narratives that have been spelt out before the country and the world at large and now it is the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State who has had the gumption to call for the creation of a Nation in the region by dismembering Manipur and parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Not that this would have any tangible impact on the region, but it is time to wake up to the geo-politics at play here and respond to the unfolding situation accordingly. At the moment, a number of educated, young people have woken up to the damages caused by the false narratives and have taken it upon themselves to neutralise the falsities that have been peddled with so much finesse. Their contributions too should be noted and it is time to acknowledge that the battle is fought not only with guns and sheer physical strength but also in other fields. This is where the contributions of people who stand firm by the idea of Manipur should be acknowledged. In doing this, it is also equally important that Manipur or rather the Meiteis try to reach out and make friends as much as possible and the first step should be to ensure that communities which are not part of the ongoing feud are not unnecessarily harassed. This should be the bottomline.