‘If PM says he may have erred, past is past, let’s finish this… Meiteis will come forward’: Inner Manipur Congress MP

So that voice, that the power is not with the CM, you are hearing after 16 months. There could be some internal dynamics within the BJP. On the other hand, the other side (the Kukis) has been demanding separate administration. So, violence has become a bargaining chip (to get demands fulfilled). This is a signal to the Centre to do something about the demands.

CM Biren Singh wants the Unified Command to be put under him. Do you think it should be done?

It is not about Biren Singh. It is about the CM. I am not defending Biren, I am defending the Constitution. The federal structure has been eroded. Law and order is the sovereign authority of the state under the Constitution…

The Centre got the DGP changed, the Chief Secretary changed… this interference is unacceptable. But the problem is this government of Manipur did not utter a word. Kuldiep Singh was appointed security advisor to the Manipur government on May 4, 2023, and on May 31, he was made chairman of the Unified Command. And the order was issued by the government of Manipur… The CM issued orders to remove himself.

Now he is saying his hands are tied… When your power was being snatched by the Centre through an unconstitutional diktat (you kept quiet). Then the order says in the footnote that the CM can call a Unified Command meeting if he wants. It is the most obnoxious order.

You think this ambiguity is one of the reasons for things not coming under control?

Absolutely right. I have realised… (the idea is) that keep this person entangled this way, and then you throw all the blame on Biren Singh. Then the Prime Minister remains spotless. It was done because the Lok Sabha polls were close. So all the bad things that have happened, Biren Singh has taken upon himself, thinking he will retain his chair. This is the kind of politics that the BJP has played. Biren is a minor player in this conflict. The major players are (Narendra) Modi-(Amit) Shah.

Biren orders something and the Assam Rifles and CRPF refuse to comply. He says Amit Shah will take care of the (Kuki-dominated) hills, and I will take care of the (Meitei-dominated) valley… what do you mean? It is your state. He has been played around. They have played on his vanity. This ‘Na ghar ka, na ghat ka (forsaken by all)’ type of situation diminishes the state’s capacity to deal with the crisis.

You wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah on the situation.

I have been saying these things for quite some time. But I wanted to put it on paper. I wish to communicate the pain of the people and the background of the crisis. Anyone who reads it will know why the Meiteis have reacted the way they have reacted. I have also written about the concrete and substantive steps that the government needs to take.

We are now seeing bombs being dropped by drones and rockets being fired. Where are they coming from?

The funny thing is that rocket launchers and sniper rifles have been seen here for a long time… drones and aerial attacks as well. This is just more intensified so everybody is noticing it. The Kukis keep saying ‘We are ready’.

Why have the Central forces, present in large numbers, not managed to disarm the general public?

One is the bungling of politics. Second, a lot of observers say that this is a move to destroy Meitei armed groups because they are the only groups who have refused to talk to the government of India. There is some credence to that. But this policy has backfired as many of these groups are able to recruit more now.

The Kukis claim they have been targeted by Arambai Tenggol and Meitei Lipun, and that the latter have Biren Singh’s backing.

These groups are there… but I have not heard that they have burst into (Kuki-dominated) Churachandpur. All the fighting is happening in the valley areas. All the contestation is happening in the fertile valley, and not the hills. It is very convenient for them to (take) these names as, in propaganda, you cannot have a diffused enemy. It is more a convenient tool for propaganda.

What can the state government do now?

The state government can’t do anything. It is (up to) the government of India. The PM should come and take charge of his party’s MLAs. He should also state strongly that no communal or sectarian demand for administration (will be entertained). For effective distribution of goods, wealth and services, there should be administrative reforms. But this should not happen on a communal basis. It will open Pandora’s box.

The PM should clearly say that whatever your basic grievances, we will address, but this violence cannot be a blackmail tool to achieve that. He has Raj Dharma. If the PM says, ‘Past is past, I might have made a mistake, we have suffered enough, let’s sit down and finish this’… If he goes and speaks like this, the Meiteis will come forward.

The feeling (among the Meiteis) is that the government of India is not protecting us and siding with the Kukis. Among the Kukis also, there are people who are attached to the land, the idea of Manipur. But those voices have been drowned out.

What is the solution? The talks do not appear to be happening.

The talks are the last step. Do not put the cart before the horse. You have to first rein in the violence by taking decisive action. The State has to monopolise the legitimate use of physical force. If you are unable to do that, you become a failed State. Afghanistan is a classic example. The Indian State cannot have pockets of failed states.