The Paradoxical Meitei CM

In his address on the occasion of Manipur Police Raising Day on October 19, N Biren Singh, notoriously known for wearing a ‘Meitei Crown,’ persuaded the State police forces to shed their ethnicity or ethnic affiliation once they don the police uniform. The day before making this statement, the same N Biren Singh, on October 18 at Ukhrul to be precise, preached that the Meiteis and Tangkhuls are ‘brothers.’ N Biren Singh is the chief minister of Manipur, after all.

In Ukhrul, he was playing to the gallery by hard-selling the Meitei-Tangkhul brotherhood. There is nothing to deplore about the assertion of fraternal ties by two communities. Rather it should be appreciated particularly at this time when the relations among the ethnic communities in Manipur are quite fragile. Again, Biren was prompt in advising the police forces not to stick to their ethnicities when discharging duties. What was hard to digest or the paradox is the fact that this ‘Meitei CM’ dissuading others from becoming one such.

Ever since Biren Singh ascended to the chief minister’s seat, he has openly professed his infamous Meiteism and has been preoccupied with Meitei centric agenda only. His obsessive preoccupation with the Meitei-centric agenda offers fertile ground for the prevalence of schism among the various ethnic groups of Manipur and the rest, as they say, is history. The present crisis besieging the State now is the outcome of his reckless persuasion of jingoism and chauvinism. However, Biren Singh refuses to acknowledge the truth and rather makes frantic attempts to evade the reality. Instead of admitting his mistakes and rectifying his wrongdoings, Biren Singh coined terms such as ‘terrorists,’ ‘narco-terrorism,’ ‘illegal immigrants,’ ‘aggression by external/foreign elements,’ etc to give the entire blame on the Kuki-Zo community. His misdeeds or misadventures do not end there.

Once again donning the crown of a ‘Meitei,’ he defiled the sanctity of the office of the chief minister as he put in full public view his ethnic leanings or his Meiteiness. In Ukhrul, Biren Singh had completely forgotten that he was the chief minister of Manipur. The esteemed office of the CM should not be misused to reinforce ties, whatever, of particular communities. Manipur is a multi-ethnic State often compared with a garden where flowers of varied species bloom together. Instead of preaching peace and unity among all communities, he chose to resort to exclusivism. N Biren’s rhetoric of the ‘brotherhood’ ties of the Meiteis and the Tangkhuls was nothing but another attempt to further alienate the Kuki-Zo community, and importantly to curtail the Southern Nagaland aspirations or Naga integration sentiments. It is to be seen whether the rhetoric pays any dividends.

Biren Singh is not yet done with the Kukis, his antagonism against the Kukis is heightened. He is engrossed in grouping, aligning and pitting other communities of Manipur against the Kukis through the reputable office of the Chief Minister. He is still a ‘Meitei CM’ is a fact proven beyond doubt. Now the ball is in the court of the Centre – whether to allow such narcissists to continue reigning the affairs of Manipur.