Peace A Distant Dream As Manipur Awaits Normalcy, Oppn Rakes Up Kokborok Script Row In Tripura

Imphal: Army officials patrol in the violence-hit area, at Sanasabi in Imphal east district of Manipur, Friday, June 16, 2023.

Source : PTI

Manipur continues to witness violence as the state rocked by ethnic clashes awaits normalcy. The state recently saw militants allegedly gun down nine people in the Khamenlok village of the Kangpokpi district and Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh's house being torched by miscreants in the East Imphal district. The incidents of violence are being reported after the state saw clashes over a month ago and even now the divide between the Meiteis and Kukis keeps on widening — and if this violence is to be contained, it is very crucial that both communities talk to each other. Without dialogue, peace in this state remains a distant dream. It has been more than 40 days but there seems no signs of normalcy returning to Manipur and that’s the reason the Centre, after the crucial visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, constituted a 51-member peace committee headed by state Governor Anusuiya Uikey. 

However, the committee itself has come under criticism from both Meitei and Kuki bodies. Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei body, rejected the peace committee over the Centre for not cancelling the Suspension of Operations (SOO) with Kuki militants. On the other hand, Kuki Inpi Manipur, whose president was included in the peace committee, expressed his unhappiness over the composition of the committee as it included Chief Minister Biren Singh.

This is a setback to the efforts initiated by the Centre to restore normalcy in the northeastern state. Biren Singh, who has failed to anticipate the horrific ethnic violence despite warnings, is seen by the Kukis as an 'oppressor'. Peace talks are very crucial and the Centre must clear the hurdles coming in between the peace talks. It can’t remain a mute spectator just by setting up a peace committee. The concerns of the Kuki bodies and also of the Meitei bodies have to be addressed — and for this, if the state needs a new chief minister, the Centre should think about it. After all, BJP is the ruling party both at the state and the Centre and a new chief minister may give a ray of hope to the strife-torn northeastern state, which is anxiously waiting for the return of peace.

TIPRA Motha Trying To Gain Momentum By Highlighting Kokborok Script Row

Although TIPRA Motha of the royal scion Pradyot Debbarma became the main Opposition party in the Tripura state assembly, it has faced allegations of being unable to function properly as an Opposition. Its occasional attack against BJP followed by soft-approach towards the saffron party has only created confusion among the rank and file of the party. As a result, the party has been struggling to retain the momentum.

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Party supremo Pradyot himself had various times called his party leaders to highlight important issues related to the tribals. The agitation held this Wednesday in Agartala by TIPRA Indigenous Students Federation (TISF), the party's student wing seemed to be a part of this strategy. The students agitated demanding the introduction of Roman script for the Kokborok language, which is spoken by most of the tribals of the state. The agitating students wanted to meet the Governor but they were halted by police during which 20 people, including five security personnel, were injured. Later a delegation of the students went to meet the Governor but failed to meet with him and they submitted their demands to the secretary of the Governor’s secretariat.

The state BJP government led by chief minister Manik Saha should step into this, instead of viewing this as a tactic of the TIPRA Motha to gain momentum in the hills. This is an emotional issue and no doubt, Motha is using this for political gains. But the state government should look into the issue properly to understand whether the demand for the introduction of Roman script for the Kokborok language has popular support among the tribals. By doing so, it would also send a positive message to the tribals that the government is genuinely concerned about their demands.

All Not Well Within Sikkim BJP Unit

The northeastern state is likely to see the assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha polls next year. The BJP is already in poll mode — and this was made clear by the party’s state in charge Dilip Jaiswal, who visited the state this week. He said that if the saffron party comes to power, the new government in its first cabinet meeting would regularise the contractual employees working for for years. He also criticised the political violence — an indirect attack on its ruling ally Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, which has faced allegations of attacking the Opposition.

Amid all these, fissures within the state BJP unit have come into the open. All this started when the saffron party inaugurated its Namchi district office this week. In the event, nine BJP MLAs were absent — and this didn’t go well with Tsheten Tashi, who criticised the MLAs for their absence in his speech during the programme.  This resulted in an open display of dissent as five MLAs, speaking to the media, questioned Tsheten Tashi’s authority to openly scold them. Importantly, Tsheten, who joined the party two months ago, doesn’t hold a post within the party — and this is what these MLAs highlighted. The MLAs also questioned the state BJP president DR Thapa for giving the new member the platform to speak.

When two months ago, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) convenor Tsheten Tashi Bhutia joined the BJP, it was seen as a boost for the saffron party. SIBLAC is an apex body representing Bhutia and Lepchas. But now after two months, he has become the reason for dissent within the party. With the MLAs openly expressing their unhappiness with the state BJP president on the Tsheten issue, things don't seem to be well within the party.

Fissures within the state unit of the party aren’t uncommon. Last year, then-party state president DB Chauhan resigned from the party citing differences with the party’s central leadership. The current dissent within the party can damage its prospects in the upcoming polls as it can develop a negative perception of the party among the voters. Importantly these fissures within the state BJP unit have come out in the open at a time, when the party's national president JP Nadda is scheduled to visit the state on June 19.

The author is a political commentator. 

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