‘There is no political will to restore peace in Manipur’

‘National highways in the state are blocked since May, 2023; essential goods, food and medicine are scarce; businesses have shut down; many schools and colleges have been closed for the past year-and-a-half; people in refugee camps are dying by suicide and the mental health of the entire population has suffered; inflation has broken the back of the common man and people are feeling increasingly insecure and isolated. There is complete lawlessness, the economy of the state has suffered and people have lost faith in both the state government and the central government. Please intervene.’

This appeal from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took the shape of an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu after Manipur Congress leaders had briefed him on the current situation in the state. Vishwadeepak caught up with state Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh in New Delhi to understand what makes peace so elusive in this northeastern state.

Singh did not mince his words. The state government is incompetent and the Union government indifferent, he raged. Singh rushed to the national capital after a sudden spurt of violence in the state post 11 November claimed more civilian lives, including women and children, even infants — there are reports of brutal torture, rape and murder.

Excerpts from the conversation:

How do you explain the failure to restore law and order for nearly a year-and-a-half?

The state government has proved to be incompetent and the Union government is indifferent to the situation [in Manipur]. Bizarrely, the Union home minister praised the chief minister for bringing the situation under control while the chief minister has been pleading that his hands are tied.

The solicitor-general of India told the Supreme Court that the chief minister was holding talks with Kuki MLAs. This was a lie! The governments have been indecisive and failed to protect lives and property; they haven’t even initiated a dialogue for peace. Yes, the Union government has deployed additional security personnel, but there is a glaring lack of coordination between the state and Central forces.

It is not clear who is calling the shots in the state even as the situation spirals out of control. There is no political will to restore peace even as the situation goes from bad to worse. People are being killed right in front of the security forces, yet they are not acting decisively.

Why are the security forces unable to protect lives?

It could be because they do not have clear instructions to act under different situations. It is also not clear who they should take instructions from: the state government, the unified command or the Central government. Neither the Modi government nor the Biren Singh government seems to be serious about restoring law and order. They must follow constitutional provisions, but they are failing to do so.

What constitutional provisions are you referring to?

Law and order is a state subject and the Central government evades responsibility by invoking this detail. However, in the case of Manipur, the authority is almost totally in the hands of the Union government. The Unified Command reports to the Centre and takes instructions from the Centre, which allows the chief minister to evade his responsibility.

The DGP (director-general of police) and even the chief secretary are appointed on the directive of the Central government. The security advisor was installed by the Central government, which again gave the chief minister leeway to argue that he had no power to act, that he was not free. If this is true, then the Biren Singh government in Manipur is even more a puppet administration.

Isn’t that exaggerated? Why would Biren Singh or Modi allow such a situation to fester?

You tell me! The state government, as I said earlier, is plain incompetent, and the Central government is equally indifferent.

Prime Minister Modi has never visited Manipur during this crisis. He tweets about everything, even matters concerning faraway countries, but he has remained silent on Manipur. He has not even met BJP leaders from the state or even chief minister Biren Singh during this period. People keep asking why the prime minister has still not visited the state or even spoken about the crisis, but does it even register? Civil society, ministers and MLAs are all baffled by his stony silence bordering on extreme callousness.

Now that the NPP has withdrawn support to the Biren Singh government, and even BJP ministers and MLAs in the state are giving up on him, what is the Congress planning to do?

We are not trying to score political points or to dislodge the government. In these extraordinary times, our first aim is to bring an end to the ongoing violence in Manipur and then walk towards a lasting solution that addresses the issues needing reconciliation.

We are serious about resolving the conflict between the communities. Chief minister N. Biren Singh has lost all moral authority to remain in power and should actually resign.

People are angry; they have attacked the homes of BJP MLAs, setting them on fire. This is a clear sign of a complete breakdown of law and order. Biren Singh must go.

Some have spoken of granting limited autonomy to the Kukis as a possible solution. Do you think that would help restore peace?

Granting autonomy to any ethnic group is not really the solution. Manipur is a small state with more than 30 communities, including Nagas, Kukis, Meiteis and Pangals.

If autonomy is given to one community, others will also demand it, leading to further divisions. With a population of just 30 lakh, Manipur is too small a state to afford this kind of fragmentation.

What role does ‘narco-terrorism’ play in the current conflict?

Manipur is a border state with very little fencing, allowing easy cross-border movement from Myanmar. Narco-terrorists have taken over large areas in the hill tracts for poppy cultivation. Remote sensing maps reveal massive plantations. The drug trade has become a lucrative business for many and some ruling party politicians are allegedly involved in this.

Drugs worth several crores of rupees and large amounts of cash were seized from former Chandel ADC chairman Lhukhosei Zou. There are allegations that he is protected by chief minister Biren Singh and a senior BJP vice-president in the state.

Is there a way out of this impasse?

The government must immediately initiate peace talks, a dialogue. If the Biren Singh government is incapable of doing this, home minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Modi should step in and take the initiative.

Refugees are living in miserable conditions in camps; they are in urgent need of rehabilitation. Central forces need to be deployed more effectively and narco-terrorists should be dealt with firmly. Both the prime minister and the home minister should visit Manipur, reassure people from all communities and take firm and decisive action to restore peace.