Meitei-Hmar Peace Talks In Manipur's Jiribam Can Pave Way For Normalcy Across Violence-Hit State

Local women take part in a 'Save Manipur Walk' in Imphal.

Source : PTI

Nearly two months after it was rocked by a fresh bout of ethnic riots, Manipur’s Jiribam saw representatives of the Meiteis and Hmars strive this week to reach an agreement to work for peace in the district. According to media reports, a meeting between the two communities was mediated by the district commissioner and senior officers of the Central Reserve Police Force and Assam Rifles. The representatives released a joint statement mentioning that another meeting will be held on August 15.

This is a significant breakthrough for the strife-torn northeastern state of Manipur, whose wait for restoration of normalcy just keeps growing. Although the 'peace agreement' is limited to only one district, it is still significant because it provides a road and a ray of hope to bring normalcy to the state. If the Meitei and Hmar representatives of Jiribam, despite ethnic clashes, can come together, then why not the Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis? It must be mentioned that the Hmars belong to the Zo tribe, just like the Kuki-Zomis.

This week, speaking in the state assembly, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh said that there should be peace talks at the central level. This is a good suggestion given that the state government led by Biren Singh doesn't enjoy the confidence of the Kuki-Zo people. Although, Biren Singh said that the state government is actively pursuing peace talks between the Kuki-Zomis and Meiteis, the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM), the apex body of the Kuki-Zo tribals in the state, refuted the CM's claim and stated that there have been no peace talks between the Kuki-Zo people and Meiteis.

Mizoram CM Lalduhawma The Right Choice For Mediator In Manipur

According to a report by The Deccan Herald, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh has requested his Mizoram counterpart, Lalduhawma, to act as a mediator in the talks with the Kuki-Zo people. The request, as per the report, was made by Biren Singh when he met Lalduhawma on the sidelines of the NITI Aayog’s meeting in New Delhi on July 28.

Lalduhawma is believed to have accepted Biren Singh's request and is likely to visit Imphal soon. This is a significant development. The Kuki-Zo people of Manipur share an ethnic bond with the Mizos of Mizoram. As a result, they see Lalduhawma, who became the Chief Minister of neighbouring Mizoram last year, as an acceptable leader. By inviting Lalduhawma, Biren Singh, who is apparently not a favourite among the Kuki-Zo people, has played the right card. It now remains to be seen if this step will bring the Kuki-Zo people to the table for discussion.

Assam Congress Promoting Moidams A Bid To Clean Image? 

According to a report by The Telegraph, the principal Opposition party in Assam, Congress, has decided to promote the Charaideo Moidam, the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty. Recently, this site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to the report, state party president Bhupen Borah and Leader of the Opposition of the state Debabrata Saikia have written to all Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda to visit the site.

This is a good initiative by the opposition party. Promoting the state’s cultural monuments isn't only the duty of the ruling party and the government. The opposition can also play a significant role in promoting the state's cultural sites.

Politically speaking, Congress has been trying to regain its lost ground among the Assamese-speaking people. It is trying its best to clean its image, damaged due to its short-lived alliance with the Muslim-dominated All India United Democratic Front, considered a communal party by the Assamese-speaking population.

The ruling BJP’s hold has been strong among the Assamese-speaking people — this was reflected in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. However, Gaurav Gogoi’s victory against the saffron juggernaut in the Ahom-dominated Jorhat Lok Sabha seat has given hope to the grand old party.

End Of Electoral Politics For Jishnu Dev Varma?

When the BJP, along with its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, came to power for the first time in the northeastern state of Tripura, it made Jishnu Dev Varma the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. This was done keeping in mind the 31% tribal population in Tripura. 

Varma even held the crucial finance portfolio. However, in the last assembly election, he lost his seat in the Charilam Assembly constituency. As a result, he didn’t make it into the second BJP government of the state.

Later, there were speculations that the saffron party would bring him into the government by nominating him for the Dhanpur seat, which then became vacant after the then Union Minister of State Pratima Bhowmik resigned. The party, however, didn’t nominate him and instead fielded Pratima’s brother Bindu Debnath, who then went on to win the bypolls with a large margin.

Then there were speculations that Varma would be nominated from the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, but the party fielded ally TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Debbarma’s elder sister Kriti Debbarma. After that, there were speculations that he might be fielded for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by former chief minister Biplab Deb, who is now a Lok Sabha member.

However, all these speculations were put to rest when last week the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, appointed Jishnu as the governor of Telangana. This week he took the oath as the governor of the southern state. Importantly, this is the first time that a citizen of Tripura has become the governor of any state in the country.

It must be recalled that the BJP tried to build a base among the tribals by projecting the soft-spoken Jishnu Dev Varma, who also belongs to the state’s royal family. Although the state’s royal family has been associated with the Congress, he chose a different path and joined the BJP in the 1990s, when the party had no base in the state. Since then, he has been a loyalist of the party. He is a relative of the royal scion Pradyot Debbarma, who now heads his own party, TIPRA Motha. However, their relations soured, and this was reflected in Jishnu’s defeat in the Charilam seat last year to the Motha candidate. Despite his defeat, he was seen in the party’s organizational meetings in the Charilam constituency.

Now, with his nomination as the governor of Telangana, it seems that the central BJP leadership has moved him, who is also a well-known writer, out of electoral politics, although there have been examples of governors returning to electoral politics after their retirement. Also, with Jishnu out of the race, it remains to be seen who is fielded by the saffron party for the Rajya Sabha seat. This development can also be seen as a message to its ally TIPRA Motha by the saffron party that the latter is dependent on it in the tribal belt. After all, it’s a fact that the saffron party has yet to find a tribal mass leader in the state.

The author is a political commentator.

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