Will the Kukis Keep Opposing NRC and the Meiteis' Demand for ST Status if the Nagas are Not Against It?

A few days ago, a delegation comprising members of the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex social body of the Nagas of Manipur and the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a Meitei CSOs conglomerate, met with the Governor of Manipur, Smt. Anusuiya Uikey.

One of the main demands jointly placed was the implementation of NRC in Manipur, which they believed is supposedly an indirectly target on the Kukis and perpetuate the narrative that many Kukis are outsiders.

In a sense, both the communities seem to be living in a fool’s paradise and really disconnected with their own realities.

Here, it may be made crystal clear that the Kukis will not oppose an NRC process directed by the Supreme Court and would welcome it if it were to be monitored by it.

It may also be pointed out that many newspapers (for instance The Sangai Express, dated March 31, 2011), had reported that there was abnormal population growth detected in the Purul, Mao-Maram and Paomata sub- divisions of Senapati district in the census of 2011. While Manipur’s overall population growth rate was 18.65 percent, these three sub-divisions saw growth rates exceeding 100 per cent. So whom are they bluffing?

Many Meiteis have their origins in Cachar, Myanmar, and even Bangladesh. The Pangals are also believed to have significant additions to their flocks in places like Jiribam, Imphal, Thoubal, etc. The only concern for the Hill tribes, whether it’s the Kuki-Zo or the Nagas, is that due to their remoteness and vagaries of tribal life, some might not have proper documents. As they often ask, why would someone need documents to prove their indigeneity in their own ancestral villages? So, if some Kukis lack the necessary documents, do the Nagas believe they will have them?

The only fear of the Kukis is that an NRC process led by a Meitei government would lack fairness and impartiality. A government that attempted to halt even a bridge construction project in Kuki areas, funded by the people themselves, cannot be trusted in any way. A communal government that tried its best to even stop a bridge construction in Kuki areas with funds collected by the people themselves, cannot be trusted in any way. On a lighter vein, if building roads and bridges on one’s own land with one’s own funds is considered a crime, then Mr. Armstrong Pame, IAS, would be the biggest offender for constructing the 100 km long ‘people’s road’.

With regard to the ST demands of the Meiteis, the Kukis and Nagas had jointly opposed it and that was why a rally was organised on May 3, 2023. Sadly, when violence broke out, it became a Kuki-Meitei issue and one must assume that the Nagas are not so much against the ST demands of the Meiteis as the Kukis are since they are not willing to fight for it.

While it is more complex than that, the fact that Naga CSOs are now hobnobbing with Meitei CSOs shows the lack of seriousness over the issue. If Nagas are okay with the Meiteis getting ST status, why should the Kukis keep opposing it alone? Let the Meiteis have ST they wanted so badly! Let them also come and settle in the Naga inhabited areas with ease as they did in the Kuki areas prior to May 3, 2023.

Simultaneously, let there be no more reservations in the state of Manipur so that every community can compete in the competitive examinations as equal citizens. In that case, the Kuki-Zo students will work harder to compete with them, and will eventually have no regrets. In fact, those Kuki-Zo from Lamka might already be able to compete with them if not beat them! We are hopeful that the Nagas won’t fare badly either.

At least, the Kukis will not keep opposing the ST demand of the Meiteis if the Nagas are okay with it. Moreover, after the political separation and administrative boundaries are officially established, we will once again welcome the Meiteis into our land as our neighbours with ‘open Arms’ as we always did in the past. The Nagas must also consider reciprocating the same courtesy from now though they never allowed in the past.

Lastly, since the Kuki-Zo are no longer in a position to agree to be part of Manipur anymore, there are three choices: one, the Nagas and Kukis collectively fight for a separate tribal state/UT with Meiteis also having their ST, or second, Naga, Kuki and Meitei areas be divided into three UTs as it was done in Jammu & Kashmir. In both these cases, the NRC process will be implemented without any reservation and the Meiteis can have their ST status. Alternately, if the Meiteis and Nagas don’t agree with the said options, they both can have NRC and ST status (for the Meiteis) -- just as they wished -- and live together ‘peacefully’ forever in Manipur.