Since May 3, 2023, when there is any rumour of a change in the government, it has been followed by agitations. Controlling the crisis in Manipur was on the agenda for the first 100 days of the new government in the Centre. With the date nearing, many believe that there may be changes in the Government and the demands from the elected representatives seem to do everything with this. When the NDA came to power in 2014, completion of the NH from Imphal to Jiribam was in the list of things to do within the first 100 days. But when the date approached various reasons were given and ultimately it was stated that it was not included. Even now the road is as bad as it; even after the passage of 10 years!
With the short visit of the party spokesperson and the in charge of the north east region in Manipur, rumours were agog about a likely change. Without intervention there is no way the crisis will end and waiting for it to slowly die its natural death is like waiting for the proverbial manna, as there are vested interest groups who benefit from the miseries. With the use of aerial bombardment and firing of rockets, there has been an escalation in the violence, despite claims that normalcy is slowly returning.
With possibility of a change looming large, it led to a meeting of the ministers and the ruling party MLAs under the Chairmanship of CM on 5th, followed by two other meetings that led to the adoption of a set of resolutions, which was claimed to be 8 but no one is wiser. The CM met the Governor and again the next day supported by 28 ministers and MLAs where the alleged 8 point resolution was discussed for placing it before the Centre. What was surprising was the inclusion of some items where the Governor or the Centre has no role to play. If going by what was available in the public domain, the demand for abrogation of SoO with Kuki militants has already been resolved by the House and the SoO has not been extended since February 2024 and thus question of abrogation does not arise. It is a tripartite agreement and it is the wisdom of the state government not to join the agreement and that is exactly the situation now.
Further, another major point is the return of the Chairmanship of the Unified Command from the Advisor (Security) to the Chief Minister. Was the Governor a party to the decision? When the crisis started on May 03 of last year, the police was cleaved on ethnic lines and the DGP who is a Kuki was shunted out as OSD in the Secretariat though his retirement was very near. As the Chief Minister is a Meitei to ensure that people do not see the police as biased,, by an order on May 30, 2023 issued by the State Government made the Advisor (Security) as the Chairman of the Unified Command. But there is a rider that if the CM desires he can call the meeting and he will chair such meetings.
There were no written instructions from anywhere though verbal instructions must have been passed on to the CM. So technically, the appointment of Advisor (Security) and DGP was the decision of the State Government and so is the transfer of the Chairmanship of the Unified Command. Thus the demand on this aspect is nothing but a tamasha to go along with the flow. It was the blunder of the CM to abide by oral instructions though the government rules very clearly lays down that action should not be taken on oral instructions but insists on written instructions, and even in case of urgency oral instructions must be followed by written instructions that must be insisted upon.
The CM whatever the reasons then had accepted whatever the Centre proposed and he is now perhaps rueing and trying to extricate himself from his past deeds. If he had at that time insisted that he will continue to play the role as laid down in the Constitution and insisted on all necessary assistance from the centre including deployment of Central forces, and if Centre insist on extra Constitutional measures he is prepared to resign; he would have been seen as a tall leader ready to sacrifice for the well being of the state.
One can recall the statement of the Union Home Minister on the floor of the Parliament that President Rule is not necessary as the CM is cooperating and the CMs statement that UHM will look after the security in the Hill and he of the valley are loaded. These two statements indicate use of extra-constitutional measures. But with the passage of time he became more aggressive in trying to project himself as the saviour of the Meitei though he is the CM of the state; that is for all communities. The change in the chairmanship of the Unified Command at least ensures on paper that the forces are made to be seen as neutral. In reply to a starred question in the State Assembly in February, 2024 it was replied that there have been five meetings of the Unified Command of which the CM had chaired two meetings and the Advisor (Security) three, after the crisis started. So what stops him from calling any such meeting now? The demand seems ludicrous from the information available on the public domain
The demand for the change in Chief Secretary, Advisor (Security) and DGP are irrelevant as neither the Governor has anything to do with it and it is the state government that issued the relevant orders, albeit in the name of the Governor as laid down in Article 166 (1) of the Constitution. Instructions, if any, as mentioned above must be oral as there is no document to show or prove that the Centre had insisted. If there are written documents, then Article 355 is in place in the state, and this was denied by the UHM himself, though at one time CM insisted it was invoked. Because of his short sightedness he has put himself in this precarious position.
The meeting of the CM with the Governor on two consecutive days makes it look like it is a very serious matter but the substance as revealed in the public domain shows that there is hardly anything that can be acted upon by the Governor or for that matter the Centre formally. The state government must interact with the centre directly and not force the Governor to be the interlocutor in this political drama. The student’s agitation or for that matter rallies by various groups mostly repeats what the CM and his colleagues have been insisting and there is hardly anything either the Governor or the Centre can do.
Let the CM pull up his socks and tell the UHM that in this circumstances he will not be able to continue and will resign if not allowed to lead the Unified Command and that he will do way with the Advisor (Security) and the DGP, as one is a retired person and the other is from Tripura cadre and then issue necessary orders. For the CS, he is our cadre officer and excluding those on central deputation now the senior most, perhaps except for one who belongs to the Kuki-Chin community.
These tamashas have diverted the attention from more pressing issues like the use of weaponised drones and rockets, conditions of IIDPs, etc. Former DGAR in an interview had categorically stated that weaponsied drones and rockets have not been used that was contradicted by Manipur Police pronto. One feel pity for the former DG, who had come out to defend his force though he had no role operationally and because of this was perhaps totally unaware of what is really happening on the ground. There are video footages of drones used for dropping RPG and the shells of the rockets fired towards Oksongbung, Tronglaobi and Moirang have been recovered.
What more evidence does he want? Can he deny the fact that it is the security forces that helped the establishment of KNA to counter NSCN and MIGs and SoO was signed with them though there have never been any conflict between the Kuki armed groups and the security forces? When there is no operation against each other how can operations be suspended and the term Suspension of Operation is a conundrum. Like the term Indian Made Foreign Liquor that raises the question how can foreign liquor be made in India? It came about as India tried to sell liquor produced from molasses as whisky and that was objected to by the whisky producing countries as whisky is made from grains, water and yeast, with barley the main grain while rye, corn and wheat can also be used and that is why IMFL a conundrum came into being.
The demand from the elected representatives is rather misplaced and is nothing but smoke with hardly any fire.
(The views expressed are personal)
