Here for generations,yet outsiders 038; insecure

K C Jain,57,runs a toy shop in the middle of Thangal Bazaar. He came to Manipur in the early 1960s,with his father,from Jaipur.

We grew up in this place,my sons were brought up here. Yet,we are not accepted as a part of this society. They call us Mayangs. While we are unimportant for the state,ignored during policy-making and not considered a part of the society,every election politicians try to woo us, he says.

The past five years have been bad for labourers,he adds. There have been instances of labourers from Bihar being attacked and killed. We dont venture out during the night. And during the day we stick to our business, he says,adding that residents of these areas are likely to vote for the Congress.

At least its a Congress government at the Centre,which makes us feel a little safe here, adds Jain.

About 100 m from Jains store is the Mahavir Cloth Store. Mahavir Jain,42,was born in Manipur and has taken over his fathers business. His family moved to the state from Nagar,Rajasthan. We get our material from Surat and Bhilwara. Our factory is in Kolkata. We cant set up a factory here,its not possible, he says,turning to a customer and speaking fluently in Meitei.

I pay at least Rs 3,000-4,000 each as hafta to seven-eight groups every month. My total extortion payment per month comes to around Rs 30,000, says Mahavir who factors that into his prices.

Security remains the top concern. Four years ago one of my neighbours,Manoj Sethi,was kidnapped and killed. We dont believe any government can make a difference, he says. At least with the Congress our safety is a little more guaranteed than with the other parties, he adds.