Delhi and the Northeast: a bridge too far?

Manipur has been on tenterhooks for about three weeks now since the capture of Th. Manorama Devi from her home, in the early hours of July 1...

Manipur has been on tenterhooks for about three weeks now since the capture of Th. Manorama Devi from her home, in the early hours of July 11. She was later allegedly tortured, raped and murdered by Indian security forces. This led to a spontaneous mass revolt culminating in the unprecedented ‘naked protest’ of about a dozen women on July 15 at Kangla, the headquarters of the Assam Rifles.

Ordinary citizens in Manipur have been suffering from intermittent curfews, mass unrest and virtual army rule since then but, what surprises me, is that the matter did not merit even a passing reference in most national dailies. This same indifference marked the June uprising of 2001 when 18 young lives were cut short by the indiscriminate firing of the security forces at the peak of the agitation against the NSCN(I-M)-Government of India ceasefire extension, while some minor episodes involving M. Karunanidhi caused the then government to rush important Central ministers southwards.

While the present crisis was brewing, the intellectual, social and political leaders of our great country — including the media, its supposed watchdog — chose to completely ignore it. Are Manipuris untouchables? Are there different classes of citizens in India? If so, Manipuris must belong to the lower-most rung. When the situation reached crisis-point, the Centre sent only a minister of state, Prakash Jaiswal, who returned without providing succour or reassurance to the ‘minor’ citizens of Manipur. Mr Prime Minister came up to Assam in connection with the floods but he, too, did not bother about what was happening in Manipur.

Story continues below this ad

This attitude is not just typical of the Centre’s attitude towards Manipur but the entire Northeast. Either the Centre plays the convenient tag of “aiding” the Northeast and for doling out financial gifts or it plays the dangerous card of pitting one Northeast tribal or ethnic group against the other. When will it end its colonial attitude to the Northeast?

Is it a case of ‘Delhi and the North East — a bridge too far’? People from this region eagerly walk down this bridge in a bid to join the elusive ‘mainstream’. Can’t New Delhi reciprocate? The Northeast hardly figures in the national ethos, politics and psyche. ‘Jana Gana Mana’ sets Orissa and Bengal as the easternmost limit, NCERT texts hardly have a paragraph on the history of the region. It hardly figures in the country’s scientific and industrial policies; its social problems merit little attention.

Who is to arouse the minds of mainstream mediapersons and intellectuals, who have all the time to comment on the US policy on Iraq, the crisis in the Middle-east, Laloo Yadav’s latest antics, but can’t care less about the sufferings of their fellow citizens in the wretched Northeast?

The writer teaches at the University of Manipur, Imphal

Trump says he’ll talk to PM Modi, talks on trade barriers with India continue

World1 hr ago

Trump announces ongoing trade negotiations with India and expresses optimism for a successful deal in the upcoming weeks. This comes after his recent criticism of the Indian economy and his administration's imposition of tariffs on Indian goods. Trump also mentions his good relationship with Prime Minister Modi and highlights the high trade deficit between the two countries.

View all shorts

Live Blog