Ehtnic Strife In Manipur
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By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2023-05-05 06:47:44
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The India Commentary view
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Manipur is
on boil. The ethnic equations in the state - as well as in the rest of the
North-East - are always delicate and any new demand from any quarter has always
led to strife. This time it was the fear in the minds of tribals in the state
that the government was going to grant Scheduled Tribe status to non-tribal
Meiteis who reside mainly in the Imphal valley. The All Tribal Students' Union
called a tribal solidarity march in protest against the Meiteis' demand for ST
status which was taken up by the Manipur HC which asked the state government to
send a recommendation in this regard to the Centre. The other tribes are up in
arms as they feel that if the non-tribal Meiteis are granted ST status, it will
shrink the reservation pie for them and they will be have to share the benefits
with the Meiteis who do not deserve the same.
Although
the Meiteis are in majority in Manipur, it is the hill tribes who get the
government benefits due to their ST status. Hence the tribes, especially the
Kukis,are always at loggerheads with the Meiteis The situation has worsened due
to the continuous influx of refugees from neighbouring Myanmar due to the drive
against ethnic insurgents in that country after the military coup in 2021.
Thousands of Burmese refugees have entered Manipur. India needs to have a
strict refugee management system to ensure that the already delicate ethnic
equation in North Eastern states does not get complicated due to the influx of
such refugees. It also needs to impress upon the Myanmar junta that the
unchecked refugee influx due to the civil war there is causing problems for
India.
The
government needs to tell the tribes in Manipur that no non-tribals will be
accorded ST status. Granting ST status to non-tribal Meiteis (although they
have claimed that they were recognized as a tribe when the state was merged with
India in 1949) will be wrong. It also needs to address the other problems in North-Eastern
states, including removing the draconian AFSPA from remaining areas. Finally,
it needs to ensure rapid economic development so that tensions between ethnic
communities are reduced.
