Biren’s Tirade Continues; Is There Any Taker?

Mr N Biren Singh has continued resorting to peddling lies, uttering divisive rhetoric and presenting false narratives. Addressing a press meet on Sunday, N Biren Singh made a damning, rather derisory remark saying the on-going crisis is neither ethnic clash nor law and order issue of the State. Coming out with yet another conceived reason for the crisis, he said ‘it is war against Indian Union by Myanmar and Bangladesh based Kuki militants in collaboration with militant groups operating in Manipur.’ This ‘new finding’ will certainly not be the final.

Biren’s vain attempt ‘to find’ appropriate ‘reason’ for the ethnic cleansing campaign he orchestrated is making him the butt of a joke. ‘Illegal Immigrants,’ ‘Poppy Cultivators’ ‘Drugs Dealers’ ‘Narco-Terrorists’ ‘Terrorists/Kuki Militants’ were some of the reasons he gave for the violence he perpetrated before coming out with another ‘perceived reasons’ ie ‘War against Indian Union by Myanmar and Bangladesh based Kuki militants.’ Biren and his cohorts leave nothing to chances to advance the narratives, which best suit their interest.

Everyone was aware that Biren and his henchmen (including the Meitei elite/intellectuals) framed ‘Myanmar’ in the current crisis. ‘Myanmar’ and the crisis there has been weaponised by Biren Singh and the Meiteis for two reasons – first, to justify the furtherance of majoritarian power in Manipur; and secondly, to exploit the sentiments of the Nagas and cause a roadblock to Kuki and Naga unity by feigning brotherhood with the later.

If it was not an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kuki-Zo community, why would Imphal valley be cleared off Kuki-Zo ethnic tribal population? Why would Meiteis – who have dreamed of independent and sovereign Manipur and waged war against India since long – have antagonism against the Kuki-Zo people if the war is against India? This inference calls for just simple logic. Biren cannot fool people every time. It is the Meiteis who waged war against India. But sadly, now in order ‘to rationalise’ his illusion, he tried to deceive the political leaders at Delhi by replacing ‘Meiteis’ with ‘Kukis’ in the familiarly known dynamics of Manipur’s insurgency movement.

Neither Myanmar/Bangladesh based Kuki militants nor militant groups operating in Manipur wage war against Indian Union. This is a fact corroborated by all concerned, but purposefully refused by Biren Singh and his partners in crime.

It is a known fact that the present crisis is the outcome of institutionalised suppression of the Kuki-Zo tribal by successive Manipur Governments and a larger part of an agenda to keep the Kuki-Zo community under further suppression, if not annihilate the Kuki-Zo community, campaign of which was reinforced or intensified after Biren Singh became the chief minister. Towards achieving the goal, Biren Singh raised radical Meitei militias and colluded with secessionist and bigoted groups (including Meitei politicians, CSOs and Media) and Valley Based Underground/Insurgent Groups (VBUG/VBIGs), whose bases in Myanmar were destabilised after a crisis in the country. 

Not only unleashing a reign of terror physically on Kuki-Zo community with hundreds killed, N Biren and his sidekicks made untiring efforts to wipe the historical, political and socio-economic positions of the Kuki-Zo community through countless suppressive and oppressive measures and policies. He works hard to sell misinformation and a very partial narrative, and even poisons the ears of political class in Delhi. It is very clear that he resorts to such demeaning tactics just to remain in his chair. It reflects his tyrannical characteristics.

The arrest of Kuki individuals by NIA and CBI in connection with several unrelated cases is another testimony of making the Kukis a scapegoat of his misdeeds and mis-governance. With his falsehood, N Biren Singh is meticulously making one last ditch face-saving attempt by deliberately exporting the violence in Imphal valley to the hills by insisting on arbitrary arrests.

Making such low statements and exporting the chaos in the Kuki land by insisting CBI or NIA to arrest individuals in order to cause confusion may avert or divert the angst of the Meitei populace who have lost complete trust and confidence in Biren, but to the rest, he would be a butt of joke.