Decode Politics: Does BJP attack on P Chidambaram over Manipur crisis hold water?

The BJP has opened this enactment of onslaught against the Congress aft Chidambaram enactment retired a societal media station – aboriginal deleted – successful the aftermath of the caller spurt of violence, saying Biren Singh should beryllium removed arsenic Chief Minister. The station added that “the Meitei, the Kuki-Zo and the Naga tin unrecorded unneurotic successful 1 State lone if they person genuine determination autonomy”.

Given the sensitivity astir the autonomy contented – a Kuki demand, opposed by the Meiteis – among the archetypal to impulse Chidambaram to instrumentality down the station was Manipur Congress main K Meghachandra.

Biren Singh by past had seized the accidental to deflect the vigor connected him by bringing up Chidambaram and the concern successful Manipur during his tenure arsenic Union location minister. Accusing the Congress person of being down the Manipur problem, Biren Singh shared a purported representation of Chidambaram shaking hands with a antheral helium claimed to beryllium Thanglianpau Guite, the president of the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), a militant radical nether a ceasefire statement with the government.

Biren argued that Guite was a Myanmar nationalist and suggested this showed that Chidambaram supported amerciable immigration.

Nadda aboriginal accused Chidambaram of allowing “foreigners” to participate India and signing Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements with militant groups.

What happened nether Chidambaram arsenic Union Home Minister?

Hoping to motion a bid woody with Kuki-Zo militant groups operating successful the hills of Manipur, the UPA authorities astatine the Centre had begun ceasefire talks with them successful 2005. According to South Asia Terrorism Portal, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation (ZRO) – the governmental helping of the ZRA – enactment retired a connection connected August 9, 2005, saying that it had reached a ceasefire knowing with the information forces for a play of six months, opening August 1 that year.

Eventually, successful August 2008, a tripartite SoO involving immoderate 25 Kuki-Zo militant groups, nether the duplicate umbrellas of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF), was signed, with the different signatories being the Manipur authorities and the Centre. Shivraj Patil was the Union Home Minister astatine the time.

The SoO crushed rules included suspension of militant activities, limiting question of constituent militant groups to designated camps, and periodic reappraisal of the statement by a monitoring group.

In the aftermath of the November 26, 2008, Mumbai attacks, Patil was replaced with Chidambaram. It was lone successful December that twelvemonth that Chidambaram took complaint arsenic the Home Minister.

What is the information regarding Chidambaram’s gathering with Thanglianpau Guite?

While The Indian Express could not independently verify the representation shown by Biren Singh of the 2 shaking hands, Chidambaram did sojourn a ZRA campy successful Manipur successful 2010 erstwhile helium was the Home Minister. According to media reports of the time, helium spent astir 45 minutes astatine the campy and met ZRA leaders. ZRA was nether SoO astatine the time.

Congress sources said the representation shared by Biren Singh could not person been from that clip arsenic Chidambaram is wearing a suit successful it, and that helium ne'er wears a suit during governmental oregon authoritative visits successful India.

As for Guite’s nationality, it has been wide reported that helium contested elections and became an MP successful Myanmar successful the 1990s.

A Wikileaks cablegram connected much insurgent groups emerging successful Myanmar excessively said this successful 2017. Identifying the ZRA main arsenic “Thang Lian Pau”, the cablegram said helium was earlier associated with Myanmar’s Zomi National Congress but divided to signifier an equipped group.

“The person of the ZRA, Thang Lian Pau, elected an MP successful the 1990 elections, was the erstwhile General-Secretary of the ZNC. Following the annulled elections …Thang Lian Pau …was expelled from the party. He moved to India, wherever helium founded the Zomi Revolutionary Organization, besides called the Zomi Reunification Organization, successful 1993. Three years later, helium established its equipped wing, the ZRA, with 200 soldiers believed to beryllium mostly Paite ethnics from India. The ZRA is based successful Churachandpur District, Manipur State, wherever our sources claimed it supported itself done extortion and occasional kidnapping,” the cablegram said.

Sources successful Kuki-Zo organisations bash not contradict that Guite contested elections successful Myanmar, but assertion helium was calved successful Churachandpur and his parents and grandparents are from the district.

Sources wrong the information constitution pointed retired that it was communal for taste groups and their members to flit betwixt India and Myanmar since they shared ethnicity, civilization and language. In fact, the tribes of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland bash not see the Indo-Myanmar borderline a morganatic 1 and equipped movements successful these regions person had unification of ethnically akin areas connected either broadside of the borderline arsenic 1 of the goals.

Why did the Congress inquire Chidambaram to delete his post?

It has much to bash with the existent concern successful Manipur, with adjacent enactment colleagues divided down taste lines. So, Meitei legislators crossed parties talk for Meitei interests, portion Kuki legislators irrespective of enactment affiliations rise tribal demands.

Congress sources said that Chidambaram’s proposition of “genuine determination autonomy” to Kukis and Nagas successful Manipur did not spell down good with the Meiteis – Chidambaram besides mentioned the Meiteis successful his post, incidentally.

Since the onset of unit successful the state, the Kukis person been demanding “separate administration” for the elevation tribes, which has been summarily rejected by the Meiteis, including the nationalist and leaders.

Why is autonomy a request successful Manipur?

Several tribes successful the Northeast bask comparative state done autonomous councils. Though Manipur besides got autonomous councils successful the ’70s, the strategy has been a nonstarter.

In December 1971, Parliament had passed The Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, paving the mode for instauration of autonomous district councils successful Manipur’s elevation areas. The stated purpose was to assistance the elevation radical a accidental astatine self-governance, support their individuality and culture, and to springiness them rights implicit the absorption of their resources.

However, the councils successful the authorities ne'er truly took disconnected for deficiency of capable powers and budgetary allocations. While the instrumentality itself was limp, adjacent the galore powers enshrined successful it were not devolved to the councils aft Manipur became a authorities successful 1972 due to the fact that of absorption from Meitei politicians.

For the Meitei colonisation successful the state, “disintegration” of Manipur has ever been a non-negotiable issue, with assistance of autonomy to elevation tribes viewed arsenic an hold of the same. Since the onset of violence, this stance of the Meitei colonisation has lone hardened.