Opinion From our Manipur visit, one thing is clear: BJP government — in Delhi and Imphal — has failed
Left MPs interacted with people from all walks of life, different communities. They all echoed the feeling that Chief Minister N Biren Singh must resign
The so-called “double-engine” BJP government has failed the people of Manipur. (PTI) 
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Hard work over generations made Manipur the “jewel of India”. The people were centre-stage as the rich history, culture and art of Manipur evolved. Meiteis, Kukis and Nagas form the population of this beautiful state. Meiteis are the majority community followed by Kukis and Nagas, in terms of numbers. The communities lived in harmony, facing challenges that life throws up. This does not mean that there were no disputes. Disagreements and clashes did take place, but whenever such incidents occurred, political initiatives and the people’s wisdom helped settle the differences amicably. The feeling of unity was a way of life for them. But that is no longer the case. Everything the people built collectively has been shattered by the divisive politics of the BJP.
The so-called “double-engine” BJP government has failed the people of Manipur. In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP failed to win a majority. However, with political and financial aid from Delhi, the party cobbled together an artificial majority and ruled for five years. In the 2022 assembly elections, the BJP used its usual tactics — of division — to manage the comfortable numbers. Neither the Meiteis nor Kukis could comprehend the long-term nefarious strategy of divide and rule. Once the RSS-BJP began the execution of their operations, the people of Manipur had to pay a heavy price. Under BJP rule in Manipur — as in so many parts of India — the crisis of lives and livelihoods was worsening. Issues of unemployment, price rise, land and development were hounding the population of Manipur. Following the RSS ideology, the BJP government told both the Meiteis and Kukis that “others” are responsible for their hardships and that they are the enemy. The question of tribal status and rights was engineered to breed distrust between communities. This deep-seated discontentment and manufactured distrust exploded on May 3. Manipur has been burning ever since.
The delegation of Left MPs, on reaching Manipur, was witness to the suffering of innocent people in relief camps. It does not matter if it is a Meitei or Kuki camp — the sorrows are the same. Women and men, old and young — they are there in the thousands (according to government sources 50,648 people are lodged in 349 relief camps, but the actual figure is likely higher). They may be getting food to quell their hunger but other essentials like healthcare, sanitation, sanitary pads, proper nutrition for children, etc, are overlooked. The education system has completely collapsed as most of the children are in the camps and many of the schools have been burnt down. The government call them “relief camps” — but they feel like “refugee camps”. People are forced to live as refugees in their own country. We could see the remnants of several churches, temples and houses that have been burnt to ash and the people in the surrounding areas looked at us with anxiety.
What we saw bears testimony to the level of mutual distrust and rage — an outcome of ethnic hatred that the ruling forces have succeeded in fanning.
The people of India ask: Where are the Union and state governments? The slogan of “Maximum Governance, Minimum Government” is marked by its absence. In Manipur, the people have zero government, zero governance. The Prime Minister’s silence speaks volumes in the face of great adversities faced by the people of Manipur. He has not uttered a word about the situation that has ravaged the state for over two-and-a-half months. All branches of government both at the Centre and state are paralysed as a result of colossal political inaction from the highest quarters.
During our visit to Manipur, the Left MPs interacted with people from all walks of life — intellectuals, workers, political leaders, civil society organisations, priests at Hindu and Christian places of worship of both Meiteis and Kukis, etc. There were differences in how they saw the situation. But they all echoed in one voice their feeling that the government has failed. They all demand the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
A detailed study of the Manipur crisis would tell us that it is closely linked with land and the wealth beneath it. The hills of Manipur are immensely rich in natural and forest resources. That region is generally protected by tribal rights’ laws. The Kukis have inhabited this area for generations. It is true that due to the growing population in the valley, land is scarce. The Meiteis who demand tribal status might only be dreaming of a piece of land. But there are political forces and their cronies in the corporate world who have a nefarious plan to loot the forests and mineral wealth of Manipur.
When a party committed to their greed runs the government in Delhi and Imphal, their “corporate cousins” think their time has come. Behind the divide-and-rule policy, all these forces of darkness joined together and made Manipur a boiling pot. Only a concerted political initiative with people’s participation can save Manipur. The government has failed.
The writer is leader of the CPI Parliamentary Group and was part of a delegation of CPI-CPI(M) MPs to Manipur
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