Meitei's Ambitious Move: Rising Above Article 35A and 370 in India's Integration Saga

Dr. B.R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian constitution, says democracy is not just about voting, it’s about ensuring that people’s voices are heard. By people, he must have implied the minority and vulnerable groups like ST/Adivasis of the country as well. For what is the purpose of having a constitution in a democracy? Among all other reasons, one important factor in a diverse and heterogeneous society like ours is that the constitution makes sure that no dominant group uses its power against minority communities or its less powerful citizens.

8 months have passed since a genocide pogrom against the Kuki was committed, thousands left what they called their homes, and thousand others were subjected to torture, physical violence and discrimination on their way to a safer place like a central forces camp, hundreds were raped, burnt alive, slaughtered and murdered. The spillover effect of Imphal atrocities against Kukis was felt by Kuki villages situated near Meiteis-dominated areas.

Despite the series of events that signal the breakdown of the constitution since the 3rd of May 2023 in Manipur such as the complete breakdown of law and order in the state , looting of state armoury and the inability of the state government to exercise its powers even in the capital city imphal. Failure of state government to protect its minority which led to catastrophic tragedy of Kukis in the hand of Meitei mobs and the

Arambai Tenggol, overlooking the basic human rights violations which are not enforceable where the Kukis were continuously violated of their fundamental and constitutional rights, the state further adds fuel to the fire. Rather than being sorry for their failure, the Kukis are further subjected to continual oppression by the state government in all sectors where it holds the power and authority, and even the education sector is not spared. Forget the victims’ accounts, the state police involvement is out in the sun as seen from multiple pieces of evidence even in the aftermath of 3rd May. The judiciary is under the mercy of the mob whose whims and fancies dictate the court judgement and orders. But there is no constitutional breakdown in Manipur for the president of India. When the surrender of the state legislators, state ministers, and even union ministers of the state from the central government of India haven’t batted the eyelid the president of India to declare that there has been a constitutional breakdown in the state, one cannot help but wonder has there been an amendment to the constitution discreetly and as to what is a constitutional amendment breakdown?

The riot-like situation which finally took the form of the word-by-word definition of state-sponsored genocide pogrom isn’t a spur-of-a-moment thing, it rather is a well-executed pre-planned pogrom. The seed to sow hatred and alienate the Kukis in the heart of the Meitei community has been carried on for years by organisations like the Haomee Federation. The ‘illegal immigrants’ tag tagged against the Kukis today is the brainchild of organisations like them. Biren too spared no effort to defame and sow hatred of seed against the Kukis. His policies towards the Kukis like the destruction of their churches, eviction from their homes and “Go to Hill campaigns” etc are what is now being executed on a larger scale by militia groups like Arambai Tenggol and Meitei mobs. ‘Why particularly the Kuki?’ question must have been bothering you all. Well, one cannot establish the facts of the claims of Meitei leaders as to why they say so, but the Nagas are considered blood brothers by Meitei if we go by the words of Meitei leaders like CM Biren himself. May be an excuse because they can’t fight the war on 2 fronts or maybe blood is thicker than water.

Why the genocide? Since Meitei secessionist organisations like UNLF, KYKL and others’ efforts to liberate Kangleipak aka Manipur remained futile, a change of strategy to achieve the goal was necessary. If an official country is unattainable then a discreet but unofficial country is the remedy. An autonomous province almost synonymous with an independent kingdom like  Bengal  under  Alivardi  Khan  and his successor under the Mughals is the goal they intend to achieve presently. ILP was the beginning (separation from Mainlanders) and genocide on the Kukis might not be the last either. It will depend on how they really feel about the Naga - a blood brother or a community they want to tackle last.

Kukis are seen as the greatest threat which they need to eliminate prematurely for it serves them 2 purposes. First they can serve as a stepping stone to create chaos to weaken the central’s control of the central government in their affairs and secondly if they can succeed in their goal of secession, Kukis could

pose a danger of being a whistleblower of their game plan as the Kukis will refuse the integration of themselves into their (Meitei) new country though due to their patriotism towards India.

With India’s aspiration to become a leading role, rather than [as] just a balancing power in global politics, its success in democracy, minority rights and human rights will be among the factors the world shall judge India upon. A failure on these grounds will make India just another CHINA even if it succeeds in making progress on other factors. With China’s pinnacle in global politics presently, if India cannot become an alternative, it shall remain in the shadows of China like Canada and the USA. Thus, the success of India in the above factors is crucial for it to achieve its aspirations. India can’t afford to unsee the human rights violations against Kukis, the genocide pogrom executed against them, attacks on their religion and the Talibanisation of Manipur. If  it  is  serious  in  its  commitment of taking a leading role in global politics, India must be capable of providing protection to its citizens and their rights along with her democracy before it can lecture other nations on these issues. If Article 35A and Article 370 were a barrier between India and the people of Jammu of Kashmir’s integration, what the Meitei intend to achieve is the complete cutoff of Manipur from India implicitly and availing its benefits on the same time. Thus it will be a bigger challenge than Article 35A and Article 370 of J&K. Thus, India must act now against the secessionists or it will be sorry later. We the Kukis are fighting today not only for our ancestral land and family but for India’s integrity and freedom, As Sadar Vallabhai Patel said, “It is the prime responsibility of every citizen to feel that his country is free and to defend its freedom his duty".