-Wahengbam Pathou
Contd from previous issue
When a historical reviewer revisits the Quit Gaddi Movement of July 1949, one will unfailingly take notice that Manipur went into an utterly self destructive mode just to satisfy self-gratification urges of a horde of some valley dweller urban Congressmen folks, who neither constituted the majority of the populace nor represented the voice of the majority, but were educated and manipulative enough to shrewdly masquerade themselves as the voice of majority in their mad scramble for power and satisfy their greedy impulses. When one assesses the historical undercurrents surrounding the ambience of Quit Gaddi campaign, it will not be missed to take note that there once lived some trouble-making vermin whose names would be associated with infamy, betrayal and perfidy. Their names crop up and unmistakably strike the mind as ugly maggots, who gravely undid and jeopardized Manipur at the altar of their self-enhancement and self-seeking pursuit. The names of the likes of Hidangmayum Dwijamani Dev Sharma, Sinam Krishnamohon, Ngangom Tompok and Elangbam Tompok invariably comes to mind while addressing the question on who to pin the blame for compromising Manipur’s interests in the run up to merger.
Discreditable, disreputable and contemptible as it was, the heinous role played by a caucus and clique of Manipur State Congressmen blackguards in the countdown to eventual merger of Manipur; who orchestrated the charade of Quit Gaddi movement, that effectively acted as catalyst precursor of the apocalyptic merger, can best be summed up in one liner (quoting an ancient wisdom): ‘the gods of eternity will not look upon them with favour’ but reservations for their reprehensible assault on their motherland. It is pertinent and equally relevant the widely acclaimed enemy of the state quote rightly or wrongly attributed to Roman senator-orator Cicero in the course of history: ‘A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.
An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the soul hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.’
Every word of this historical quote rings true for the band of those Congressmen who sought to sabotage and wreak havoc to the sovereign existence of Manipur in 1949. Blinded by their desire and pursuit of power, without any scruples of conscience, these horde of discredited politicians, to draw a maritime analogy, rocked the boat-implying Manipur on which their political career set sail-so hard that it eventually capsized to a point of no return by their clamouring for abolition of monarchy. They made a hole on the very plate they had their two-square meal by plotting Quit Gaddi campaign. When the history of Manipur’s merger story is written the quartet of Manipur State Congress leaders Dwijamani Dev Sharma, Sinam Krishnamohon, Ngangom Tompok and Elangbam Tompok will invariably come to mind for their outrageous contrivance, conspiratorial behavior and foul-stench machinations which gave the enemy a handle to subvert Manipur by ‘treason from within’ as stated before.
There were many others in the State Congress party rank and file, who treaded the self-destructive path, like this quartet did, but what underscores to flash across this particular quartet band of leaders in one’s mind is that they assumed the leading lights and pivotal role of being the key helmsmen in tearing Manipur asunder in 1949.
The fundamental, underlying notion giving rise to ardent desire for abolition of monarchy is Manipur and thereafter merger of Manipur into India, is that when the elder brother was the king and the younger brother the Chief Minister, occupying top echelons of the-then-existing-and much-coveted power configuration, the high level of education that the Congress leaders like Dwijamani Dev Sharma and Sinam Krishnamohon attained will be rendered utterly futile and fruitless, so long as the royal brothers-duo consisting of Maharaja Bodh Chandra and Capt. M.K. Priya Brata remained at the helm of power structure put in place in Manipur after the lapse of British paramountcy.
So why not merge Manipur so that an opportunity inevitably arises by the surfacing of a power vacuum in the event of Manipur’s merger into India; after which the likes of M.A. Dwijamani Dev Sharma and M.A./B.L. Sinam Krishnamohon shall fervently exploit to their advantage, having lost out to power consequent upon suffering a resounding electoral defeat at the hands of the people just a year ago in 1948. This trait of character and base level of thinking equally applies to other discredited Manipur State Congress politicians and their naïve, hooligan followers who did enough damage to Manipur during Quit Gaddi campaign apart from the duo of Dwijamani Dev Sharma and Sinam Krishnamohon.
After monarchy is abolished, Capt. M.K. Priya Brata removed from holding the office of Chief Minister and the ruling party’s ministers stripped of their posts, the field would be left wide open for a horde Congressmen to exploit to the fullest.
The successor Union Government of India would also amply reward Congressmen who took leading role in Quit Gaddi movement. This was the fundamental drive force and primary motivating factor in the desire of condemnable Congress leader’s covetous desire to dismantle monarchy in Manipur. Lure and temptation for the taste of power proved too irresistible to the likes of Dwijamani Dev Sharma, Sinam Krishnamohon, Ngangom Tompok and Elangbam Tompok, among other Congressmen, which resulted in descent to debased politics that worked to the detriment of overall Manipur’s interests.
Quisling generations will not escape the scrutiny and censure of forthcoming generations for the perfidious betrayal and abject treachery meted out to Manipur at the altar of their personal gains or in worst case, just to satiate their personal ego. Their reprehensible behaviour and atrocious act will certainly not, nay never, go unnoticed when history of the land is written. It is worthwhile to carry out a character analysis of the quartet of Dwijamani Dev Sharma, Sinam Krishnamohon, Ngangom Tompok and Elangbam Tompok. They rocked the sovereign boat of Manipur hard and wild enough that culminated in the merger of Manipur. Their defenders may argue since merger was a given inevitability intertwined in the destiny of Manipur, it has less to do with Quit Gaddi campaign and more to do with determined pushed by powers that be in Delhi, not so much of them. Whoever dolt that rise to defend, salvage, rescue and vindicate the likes of Dwijamani Dev Sharma, Sinam Krishnamohon et al., they need to be severely minded of the old adage, the saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies (but from among your own ilk and creed). To be contd