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What lies beneath

by VIKRAM NONGMAITHEM

May be there is something sweet fundamentalist in the polity of Northeast India after independence.

This fundamentalism arises out of the fact that there is a feeling of deprivation and alienation in the minds of the racially and culturally different ethnic groups in this part of the so-called 'secular India'. While the process of reassertion of ethnic identities are taking place in the form of armed insurgency movements in the Northeast states it is, then, no wonder that 'pseudo-secular' communal forces are at the helm of affairs in the Indian capital. The chauvinistic goondaism of the major communities naturally leads the minorities to think and believe that they are 'aliens' in their own land simply because of the fact that they are culturally and linguistically different from mainstream Indians. Development is so slow and stagnant in the Northeast even though the region is richly endowed with natural resources. Moreover there also exists a great potential for the development of human resources. It can be noted that oil and petroleum was found for the first time in India at Digboi in Upper assam. But then a question arises why the region is not rich like the states in the Gulf countries. Tea plantations and farms that were introduced by the British are now in the hands of MNCs whose sole motive is the maximization of profit without much regard for the local people. The exploitation of the natural resources of the region had been taken on a fast scale whereas the local people do not get the benefits and remain as fringe elements. Again immigration into the Northeast has become a big issue. Since market forces rule this globalized world the phenomenon of consumerism has eaten deep down into our bowels while our productivity still remains almost stagnant.


Today the Northeast is infested with an innumerable number of problems ranging from widespread unemployment, poverty, education, economy etc. This results in the birth of discontented elements in our society eventually leading to toe the extremist ideology. There is nothing strange in the fact that Sonia Gandhi was born in Italy and later became an icon of the masses of the cow-belt politics. Sometimes, NE students studying in the national capital are often asked if they are Tibetan refugees or Nepalis. Such pseudo-secularist attitude, even in the premier institutes of the nation creates a sense of psychological alienation among the NE students. Such attitudes only serve to hamper the growth of unity. The once famous "divide and rule" policy of the erstwhile British Raj is still continued to certain refined forms. For example, the state of Manipur drew up a free constitution after the lapse of the British Paramountcy but was later annulled and Manipur become a Part C State of the Union of India after its merger with India in 1949. From the account of Britishers and other historians, the Manipuri people were politically active although in a somewhat traditional fashion. It is an irony of history that Nagaland was granted statehood in 1962 which Manipur still remained a Union-territory unto 1971. The Caesarian section and vivisection of India on linguistic basis under the States Reorganiation Act of 1956 also created its ripple effects in the NE region also. In a region inhabited by a number of indigenous tribes and ethnic groups, this politics of majority tyrannism and neocolonialism from the Indian capital also brought about many fissures among the traditionally unified people of the region. In a way the people in NE have a different religious background from the majority community in India. Again, majority of the people in the hilly region are Christians who were converted into Christianity by the British and American missionaries in the 19th century. The demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 and the murder of the Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons and subsequent communal riots and minority bashing simply shows that secularism as a principle for the Indian nationhood is not so secure as is often claimed. This naturally helps us in instilling a development of a fear psychosis among the Christians of the NE. Even when an impartial bureaucrat like Mr. J.M. Lyndogh, the Chief Election Commissioner of India opined that elections cannot be held in Gujarat at such a juncture after the communal carnage. The likes of the fascist Modi took up the question of the CEC's personal faith and religion. This indeed shows the immaturity on the part of some communal minded votaries of Indian Democracy. Such things have happened in the past and will happen in future if mainstream Indian politicians still continue to live in a 'make-believe' world. Positioning one ethnic community against another only worsens matters.

The birth of the Naga National Council (NNC) under Z.A. Phizo had its domino effect on the neighbouring territories. Even though the NNC signed the Shillong Accord in 1975 with the Govt. of India, some splinter groups continued their armed struggle. It can here be mentioned that the Nagas submitted a memorandum to the British when the Simon's Commission visited in India 1929. While the Zeng, the Nagas, the valley of Manipur also witnessed a growth of a political consciousness and a revivalism of the ancient Manipur culture. With the independence of India, the number of immigrant population stealthily increases in the region. Political power began to be wielded by an elite few. Discontented elements erupted in the form of armed insurgent groups like the UNLF, PLA, PREPAK, NSCN, ULFA, KNF, etc. Needless to say, the NH-39 has become the trump card of many extortionist groups claiming that the people should pay "patriotic tax". While the NSCN(I-M) were maintaining ceasefire with the Gol, the other faction of Khaplang still remained a rival. While many NGOs are pressuring the armed groups for peace, the underground organizations say that India should remove the "occupation force" from the soil of the region. Their claim is that there are so many cases of blatant violation of human rights due to the pressure of the Indian Army and other forces. Manipur, which has a literacy of 68%, has 90,000 (approx.) govt. employees. Even though the literacy rate is high, unemployment has become the root cause of the discontent among the people. Even the Govt. of Manipur cannot pay regular salaries to its employees.

In March 1999, insurgence groups namely UNLF, RPF & PREPAK announced the formation fo Manipur Peoples Liberation Front (MPLF) as a unified forum of these groups. The RPF also announced the organisation's war against the HIV it seems has a large impact in the common people. Again, "disappearance" of the common people has become a big issue as it happened in the case of Sanamacha which was highly publicised. The Supreme Court's directive to give "arrest memo" while arresting suspected person after the P.K. Basu v/s the Union of India had little effect in Manipur. The insurgent groups' activities are seen by the GoI as a form of "Narcoterrorism". The GoI believes the 'bloody money' from narco-trade is used for buying weapons by the insurgents. The movement for the control of Moreh town by the insurgent groups has also become a major problem. It is also believed that the porous border between India & Bangaladesh is now by the insurgents as a route for importing sophisticated weapons. The NH-36 which runs through Guwahati, Shillong, Silchar is also mostly controlled by the insurgents. Arunachal Pradesh, which is relatively peaceful state in the Northeast, has recently seen the birth of insurgent outfits. The Gol's habit of blaming every act of crime on the ISI only worsens matters.

Again, narcotics trade can flourish well in the region because the region is one of the dumping grounds of the Golden Triangle. The Opium Acts of 1857, 1878, and Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985, 1988) bans plantation of coca, opium, poppy etc. of the cannabis family but smuggling of drugs across the porous border with Burma still takes place on a large scale. AIDS and drugs have become a major cause of concern. Anti drugs movement had started in China as early as 1800 A.D. The problem in China at that time is in many ways similar to what is happening in Manipur today. The world's total amount of narcotics trade comes around U.S. $ 500 billion annually. This figure is much more than the total GDP of the seven richest countries of the world. Around 50% of the total volume is sold in the United States alone. But, it cannot be inferred that the problem is much bigger in the US. For example, 'China White', the highest quality type of heroine is easily available in Manipur while heroine Users in the US do not have access to such type of drugs.

Politically, Manipur have a history of unstable govt. Even since its achieving 'statehood' status in 1971, there has been and 8 chief-ministers. Again there has been seven President's Rule since 1972. There are 29 different tribes in the state. Likewise, there are 20 different militant groups in the state of Manipur alone. It is as if every tribe ought to have its militant outfit. Moreover, there are also extreme complications of ethnic, inter-ethnic conflicts and the battles for turf as well as the politics of large militant groups using smaller ones as cat's paw. Human elements of greed and envy are of as much of their problems as they are of ordinary people. On 24 November, 2001 the DC of Chandel district was abducted and at first it was a Kuki group which had him in custody; then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a statement emerged from Amsterdam that the NSCN(I-M) had Yambem Thamkishore, the DC in their custody. Of course the DC was released without being harmed after outrage erupted in Manipur and also in Naga civil society. the Naga leaders wee embarrassed. But the NSCN demand of returning the weapons of their 11 cadres killed in an incident involving the states Indian reserve Battalion in Pallel, where the nagas were roaming with weapons en route to a meeting, was turned down flat. Mr. Muivah's statement taking responsibility for Mr. Thamkishor's abduction did the NSCN no credit.

Lately, a most pathetic story of the deterioration of our society is the raping of teenaged girl inside a Imphal bound bus from Guwahati on NH-39. News reports indicate that suspected militants at Piphema in Nagaland did the crime. All the 25 passengers had to remain silent and around Rs. 70,000 were taken away by the suspected militants. Here it may be remembered that one Miss Rose was raped by the Indian Army on March 4, 1974 and Later committed suicide. Her words, "I do not see the reason living when such nasty crimes can be committed in full knowledge of my people", has been put on the official website of the NSCN. The question is why people should believe that the rapists were militants. This is not simply an issue of morality; it is a question of one's survival. Every organization should condemn and question such an act of man's inhumanity to man. Those responsible for the crime should be booked and tried in a people's court and they should be given the punishment they deserve. If they are let go scot-free, it is only a matter of time that such a crime will happen again.
 

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