Forced and unratified Manipur Merger Agreement of 21 Sept 1949

The British, initially as mere traders, landed in India in 1608 A.D. at Surat Fort and with the permission obtained from Emperor Jehangir of the Mughals who were then ruling the undivided India (Bharat-Varsha), through their representative, William Hawkins who resided in the Emperor’s court at Delhi, started their trading business. They who so came to India under the name East India Company not only expanded their trading business in due course of time but soon they, after safely settling-in with consolidation of Power, became the “overlords and masters” of the vast undivided country by virtue of their “supermacy” in diplomacy and arm-power and had established their their a better ruled and organised “Empire” with a unchallengeable “suzerain power”. The so called India at that time was a heterogenous set-up, a very vast country made up of different Provinces and several indigenous States ruled by their own rulers - kings, Jamindars, Jagirdars etc. which the British named them the “Native States” and had brought them under their rule and control after conquering and annexing them one after another. In total there were 554 such Native States which ruled independently of their own but externally under the overall control and suzerainty of the British, and the age-old (about 2000 years old) princely kingdom of Manipur was one among them which existed under her own “sovereignty” till she came under the British Rule as the last Native State to have done so after her defeat in the Anglo-Manipuri war that took place on 25 April 1891, prior to that she had been a formidable Ally of the British.

The British suzerainty over the Indian Empire continued for about 173 years (from 1774 to 1947), and though the country as a whole underwent tremendous improvements and reforms in all respect under their rule the people felt not very happy and justified remaining as a “suppressed people” under an alien and colonial ru1e and hence began breaking the “ice” and started political agitations for achieving their “birth-right of self-ruling”, which the British “foresaw” of inevitably parting their imperial and colonial power soon and therefore they earnestly began preparing for it by enacting firstly, an Act in the British Parliament known as the Governnent of India Act.1935 which provided or paved way for the ground-work for negotiations that led to the final transfer of power into the hands of the Indians, and finally, another Act, called the Indian Independence Act, 1947, the bill of which was introduced in the British Parliament on 4 July 1947 and it received the Royal Assent on 18 July 1947. It was under this Act that India became free fran the British Rule from the midnight of 15 August 1947. The Act allows creation of two Dominions - India and Pakistan and the Native States were given “option” or “choice” for their joining with either of the two Dominions, or if desired by the majority of their people to remain as “sovereign State” of their own. It was in the late night of 14 August 1947 that the British Political Agent. G.P. Stewart handed over the sovereign power of the State of Manipur to its king, Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh and thus she retrieved her “age-old sovereignty” again from that midnight onwards.

Under the agreement signed by Maharaja Bodhchnadra Singh with the Governor of the then British Province of greater Assam, Sir Akbar Hydari, representing His Majesty the king of the British Empire on 1st and 4th July 1947 at Shillong the sovereign State of Manipur became a Democratic Sovereign State under a Monarch by enacting her own written constitution. The authority of framing her own constitution was derived from the “de facto self-determining and ruling birth­rights” of the people to whom the sovereign powers of doing so was transferred by the Maharaja on 1st July 1947. It was under the constitution so framed and enacted, called the Manipur State Constitution, 1947 that the General Election of the people (on universal adult franchise and joint electorate) was held on 18 July 1948 and the people’s representatives. were duly elected (14 from congress, 5 from Manipur Krishak Sabha, 3 from Socialist Party, 12 from Praja Santi Sebha and 18 independents from the Hills) and its Governnent formed by a combined party of the 12 Praja Santi Sobha and the 18 Hill independent Members started functioning from 18th October 1948 with a Legislative Assembly established from the same day constituted by the 53 Members elected as its Members with Shri T.C.Tiankham, the independent Hill Member elected as the Honourable Speaker of the House. His Highness the Maharaja, Bodhchandra Singh as the Head of the State under the provisions of the constitution, addressed the House on its inaugural day on 18 October 1948 and his very “sentimental” and “emotional” Proclamation given on the auspicious and historic day of Manipur is reproduced as here-under :­

Quote - “This is the first time I as Representative of Manipur Crown and Monarchy, unbroken and safeguarded with the “blood of my forefathers” for about two thousand years, address the first Assembly of the Manipur State on this historic day following the “modern practice and British style of Democratic rule” I consider myself fortunate to see the birth of an Assembly in the State during my time and again I feel proud to be able to place on record and make it known to the rest of India that though painted otherwise abroad, my State, just as the sun rises earlier in the east, taken the lead in the “direction of democratic government, based on adult franchise and joint electorate” in the line of which India and other Asian countries are soon following. I take more pride in that though in countries like England, responsible government has been the outcome of the blood of so many persons, there has been in my State no bloodshed since “I took the initiatives here”. I have been sincerely watching the practicability or impracticability of the Manipur State Constitution Act, 1947 that has been framed and enacted under my very keen initiatives taken in the “larger interest of the people of Manipur”, I now bring to the mind of the people that “I had transferred my sovereign powers and responsibilities other than those of a Constitutional Ruler to the State Council since 1st July 1947 before the lapse of the British paramountcy and since then, “I have already remained as Constitutional Ruler”. But most of the people innocent as they are, have been imputing to me the actions of the Council. My only earnest wish is to see a more prosperous Manipur. By installing a responsible gOvernment and Assembly of the people, and the Members as their representatives to run the institutions best opportunities are henceforth provided to serve your country to the fullest extent you desire with toleration and concord to make Manipur. “a greater Manipur”. Administrators and citizens of the State, in order that “the integrity and separate entity of the State is preserved for ever”. I wish to attach the highest measure of importance to detailing same account of what the State of Manipur is - I mean the State and people. whom you represent and on whose better administration you are now out to embark. To begin with, I feel a sudden emotion in my heart - I mean the sweet reminiscences of the past history of Manipur. Let the patriots fight for today. I will see that yesterday shines once more before the people ignorant of the beauty of yesterday. I am sure, a look back to the history of our land will at once inspire your mind towards greater and nobler deeds to prove your worth as “worthy sons of worthy fathers”. Lo : the sweet and green valley with “sweeter and greener hills all around” in this part of the south-east-Asia region - a smiling land, hallowed by footprints of heroes and admired as the Switzerland in the east by strangers. It is Manipur, a salubrious land of hoary antiquity - a land of gems..... She was a “star” in the eastern political firmament. Strong nations of the world covet her natural position. Such is Manipur. Read her political history from 24 A.D. She had her dominion over a wide area extending as far as the southern portion of China in the north, the gold mine in the Sibsagar valley of Assam, the river Chindwin (Kyeendwin) in the east and south, and Chandrapore (Cachar) Assam in the west and during the 1700s at the time of the great and most heroic and indomitable conquerer, Meidingu (king) Pamheiba even Upto the areas in the south-west near the sea of Bengal including Lushai (Mizo) and chin hills...... All these times when Manipur was in the height of her power, Hill and Valley were one : and this oneness defended Manipur against all invasions and thus, she could maintain her independence upto 1891, when the rest of India had already been conquered by the British. British conquest of this land resulted from the slackened unity between the valley and hills. Now, since the withdrawal of British paramountcy after 56 years’ rule, we have rein­forced the union of the Hill and Valley : and best opportunities have reached us in order to work hand-in-hand towards achieving the common object of progress and really a prosperous independent State of her own. Manipur is one and the hopes and aspiration of Hill and Valley are identical....... Manipur should be made militarily strong as, in the contemporary world, militia is the noblest estate of mankind. In the history and accounts of 1874, written by Col. Johnstone, you will come, across that Manipuri nation constituted the “best armies in the world”.

“The inherent warlike spirit of the Manipurls should be maintained”. It is the best time for you to serve your mother country while she needs and to prove that you are her worthy sons. You are to show to the world and to your people, the achievements or progress of the welfare of the people under this new government with clear results of a change for the better. Otherwise, the name Responsible government may not be worth the name. We should not forget that we are Manipuris, destined to live in Manipur and die in Manipur. “Providence has bound our fates together indissolutely”. I wish to see you all becoming great and noble not for your own sake but noble for the country - to make Manipur great, a greater Manipur to enable her to stand up with head erect among the Nations, as she did in the past. In fine, I call upon you all to take this as your motto and to join me in a fervent prayer for the well-being of our motherland Manipur. Unquote - It may be noted that out of the 554 Native States, no such State had prepared its own constitution and dared to establish its independent Legislative Assembly and a Democratic Government as Manipur alone had done so boldly. Instead, except Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad, all of them very hurriedly acceded to the Dominion of India, many of them merged with their contiguous Provinces. In the case of Jammu and Kashmir State, its Hindu King of the Muslim majority subjects acceded to the Dominion of India under immediate compulsions except the portion forcibly and suddenly occupied by Pakistan, for which the dispute in between the two countries is still on. —to be contd

6-Nov-2012 / 01:03 AM / Waikhom Damodar Singh / 0 Comments