Who Runs the Meitei Society?

A journalist friend from Assam recently said that during the CAA movement, the greatest crisis among the Assamese people was the absence of a Civil Society Organisation that commands the respect of the majority, if not all the people. In Manipur, both the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo societies too encountered a deep crisis of internal fragmentations. Yet the changing dynamics of Meitei Civil Society is much more alarming.

A much larger society like those of the Meiteis have its inherent problems: groups formed based on politco- party lines; students unions mushrooming as frontal organisations of various valley based insurgent groups (VBIGs), or to push forward their dictats. Besides, there are too many revolutionary groups who call the shots. At one point in time, there was UCM and AMUCO which seemed to have a semblance of influence over the Meitei societies as they were backed by the two oldest VBIGs.

Just before the current conflict  broke  out,  a militia group called the Meitei Leepun was born, and initially it was spearheading the movement alongside the Arambai Tengol, another militia group. Both  these  two  militia  groups,  which they prefer called as cultural organisations, were formed  on  the  line  of  neo-nazi  organisations.

Then the Youth of Manipur (YOM) slowly emerged to enforce its dictates. One might also recall a certain Manorharmayum Barish Sharma, former President of  BJYM  Manipur,  who  was  at  the  forefront  in

confronting the Kukis regarding Reserved Forest. The Federation of Haomee (FOH), Kangleipak Kanba Lup(KKL), International Meitei Forum (IMF), and the World Meitei Council (WMC) were some of the other organisations who played their part in setting a certain narrative against the Kukis.

Meanwhile, the Pambei faction of the UNLF, now in SOO agreement with GOI, have been making efforts to make other insurgent groups come within their umbrella, at least in the Valley. The Meira Paibis, though seemingly unified, is a loosely held body with each unit having its own agenda and support based [from different VBIGs]. While one section wanted Biren Singh’s removal during the first episode of the laughable ‘resignation drama’, another group was stoutly opposed to it, and instead supported him to continue as the head of the government.

While the Manipur Police Commandos (CDO), dreaded earlier in the valley particularly by cadres of  VBIGs  and  their  sympathisers, now becoming  shooting  targets  in  Moreh, the Meitei society seems to be desperately looking for a hero[es] in a fast changing chessboard for control of the Manipur valley.

Now that Korounganban Khuman and his Arambai Tenggols have overstepped their line by physically assaulting elected representatives, their days also seem to be numbered. The increasing show-of strength by the surrenderees UNLF-P cadres in the frontlines and their increasing presence in the media, including social media, implies that the musical chairs in Imphal are up for grabs.

Questions would soon emerge as to who actually represents the collective Meitei voice! Is Bimol Akoijam the spokesperson, or Pramod Singh who called the shot? Or is it Bhagat Oinam, Thounaojam Brinda, or RK Sanayaima? Or who among the two -- Biren Singh or Leishemba Sanajaoba -- command a higher position in the current Manipur situation? Or to put it simply, whom should a Meitei listen to? As of now it is the Arambai Tenggols who dominate the scene but

there are others such as the COCOMI, KKL, ML, STDCM, UNLF-P, and others, who keep trying to make themselves relevant. All Meitei intellectuals and academics, except a few who speak the language of Arambai Tenggol, are nowhere to be seen, and the culture of debate and discussion which have been seen among the Meiteis in the last two decades, have vanished in thin air.

Meanwhile, Kuki-Zo are a community that fights in peace-time and unites in war-time.

Lastly, in Imphal, though Meiteis are tired dancing to different changing tunes after every one month, they have not been able to replace the DJ, i.e. DJ Biren!