Post 'Manipur chaos', Modi Govt planning 'big' with NSCN-IM, ULFA

 Post 'Manipur chaos', Modi Govt planning 'big' with NSCN-IM, ULFA

New Delhi 

Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi really plan something big and hence he had maintained an unprecedented and studded silence on Manipur violence? All of it could be a mere speculation, gross imagination or at best even premature.

But the Union Home Ministry has been in hyper active mode for the last few days. In a crucial meeting with the apex Meitei body, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), Home Minister Amit Shah is reported to have assured that "there will be no allowance for separate administration" for Kukis and Zos in Manipur.

The demand for a 'separate administration' has been made by the Kukis and Zo community and even BJP's ally in Mizoram, MNF, has in principle backed the idea.

The Meitei leaders met Shah at his official residence on Friday and the 13-member delegation also held 'strategy' talks or detailed discussions with top key officials later. The COCOMI sources said the Home Minister appealed once again for peace and requested COCOMI to convey this message to the people and if possible explore the possibilities of establishing contacts with other communities.

Notably, it is understood that the COCOMI has established a working rapport with influential 'power centres' in the Nagas of Manipur. They are also in touch with apex body of Nagas of Manipur, the United Naga Council (UNC).

Shah also said measures were being implemented to register the immigrants (from Myanmar) using biometrics, including retina scans, and that stringent action would be taken against all forms of infiltration.

The Centre is expediting 'border fencing' in the Manipur sector to address concerns about mass infiltration. The 'infiltration' issue actually refers to those Chin tribals and others who understandably share ethnic bond with Kukis and Mizos. Hence, MNF Rajya Sabha MP K Vanlalvena had joined theissue with Shah and had said during the Monsoon session of Parliament that it would be erroneous to call 'Tribal people in Manipur as Myanmarese'.

The apex body of Kukis, ITLF, had earlier expressed anguish for what they said the Home Minister was 'defending Manipur CM Biren Singh'. A delegation of ITLF leaders met Shah in Delhi on Aug 9.

Violence engulfed Manipur state post-May 3 when clashes first broke out in Churachandpur town after Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed changes to the reservation policy granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community. 

Of course, the Naga inhabited areas did not witness violence and now it is generally being 'trusted' that the Meiteis and Nagas have established good working relations. Nagas have said no move for creating 'separate administration'  for Kukis should touch traditional land of the Nagas. The UNC has also flayed Kukis for allegedly distorting history.

The potent insurgent group NSCN-IM and its leadership hail from the Naga hills region of Manipur and it is in the process of continuing the 'stalled talks' with government's emissary A K Mishra. NSCN-IM's aging general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah also joined the talks notwithstandinghis ill health, sources said.

These on-going talks are therefore taken as serious and could be game-changer. On the other hand, Mishra is also in touch with another influential body, NNPG. 

Led by senior militant leader N Kitovi Zhimomi, the NNPG is an umbrella organisation of seven militant groups, and is keen for signing a final peace pact with the centre. To top it all, analysts feel once considerable progress is made in parleys with NSCN-IM and NNPG; the centre will be able to make target-specific progress in talks with Assam-based militant organisation ULFA.

A delegation of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), comprising chairman Arvind Rajkhowa, general secretary Anup Chetia, and Sasha Choudhury held talks with central government officials on August 17-18.

Arvind Rajkhowa and other key ULFA leaders were arrested in vulnerable locations in Bangladesh and elsewhere when the UPA government was in power. 
In fact, the talks had begun in 2011 when P Chidambaram was the Home Minister. 

However, a hardline faction led by Paresh Baruah is opposing the talks. This group is believed to be hiding chiefly along the China-Myanmar border.

Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane accompanied senior civil and military 
officials paid a two-day visit to Myanmar on June 30 and July 1. That means this 
visit happened when Manipur violence had already started.

Though the Defence Secretary's visit was reported, it is worth mentioning that no mention of these was made either by Home Minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the No Confidence Motion debate in Parliament. 

ends

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the books ‘The Talking Guns: North East India’, and ‘Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth’. Views expressed are personal)

-- 

--Nirendra DevNew Delhi