Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Prof. Meijinlung Kamson, has called for concerted effort from all sections of society for the restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur, saying that the recent tragedy is a blot in the history of Manipur.
“Various ethnic communities reside in the state together and have lived in harmony since time immemorial. The recent incident has affected all the communities of the state, and this issue is a blot in the history of Manipur,” Prof Kamson said in an exclusive interview with the DIPR.
Stressing the need for all to work towards an amicable solution to the Manipur crisis, he said: “This time, the matter becomes worse, even to the point that the state’s territorial integrity is at risk. In order to bring peace and tranquility, all sections of society should join hands towards bringing amicable solutions and should pacify each other.”
Pointing out that the current incident is a manifestation of unsolved problems, Kamson stressed the need to look deeper into the various underlying causes leading up to the present crisis.
“As of now, the incident is being seen as a riot between the Meiteis and the Kukis. But I think there is a larger and deeper background to it, and we need to see it too. I think the state has had its own problems before, and the current incident is a manifestation of those unsolved earlier problems.
“After Independence, since the 1950s, various waves of refugee influx from Burma have occurred. And our inability to tackle that influx properly at that time by the then-government is one of the major reasons for the happenings today. The blame was not entirely the governments’, as the phenomenon of migration is a part of historical development,” he said
Emphasizing the need for concrete steps to restore peace in the state, Kamson said another reason is the inability to complete the NRC implementation process.
“What I want to comment on is that the issue should not be viewed on the surface layer, but should be looked into deeply. Other factors, such as poppy plantations and encroachments, also come into play. The government, politicians, and intellectuals need to see the problem deeply as a serious issue, and concrete steps should be taken.”
Till now, the Center and state governments have taken various preventive measures and constructive solutions to bring back ‘the much-needed’ normalcy, he said.
He then appealed to the government, politicians, intellectuals, CSOs, and other stakeholders to continue to strive towards upholding the unity and integrity of the state of Manipur, which has a rich history spanning over 2000 years.
It may be mentioned that Prof Meijinlung Kamson is an Indian politician from Manipur who served as the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs from 1995–96. He was elected four times to the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Lok Sabha from Outer Manipur (Lok Sabha constituency) in Manipur, India.
