Infiltration from across the border Lessons from Litan
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Certain points should be clear, very clear and if these cases do not open the eyes of the people concerned then one wonders what will. Even as the NSCN (IM), the Tangkhul Naga Long and others concerned have come out strongly against the gradual occupation of land which they claim are ancestral lands of the Naga people, the opposition to the move of the Government of India to fence the porous Indo-Myanmar border continues as well as the opposition against the move to rationalise the Free Movement Regime. It does not need rocket science technology to understand from where the people who have settled on their lands have come, so much so that today they have started laying claim on the land which the TNL and the NSCN (IM) claim are lands which belong to the Tangkhul people. As stated in earlier commentaries here, anyone who travelled more than once or twice on the Imphal-Ukhrul road during the late 70s, 80s and even 90s, will vouch that during those days, Litan was nothing more than a small settlement and was identified as a Tangkhul village. The villages that one comes across before reaching Litan on the way from Imphal consisted of just some houses, very much unlike today. How did the population of these small villages grow so fast in just two or three decades ? Answers which do not need deep study. It is not just Litan and the surrounding villages, but a closer look at National Highway-2 will tell its own story. Who are the main inhabitants of Kalapahar, the village that one comes across before Kangpokpi on the way from Imphal ? Back in the 70s and 80s such a question would not have arisen but take a look at the said place today and the picture should tell its own significant story. Nagaland too has a somewhat similar story to tell if one looks at the recent flare up between the Kukis and the Angamis at Chumoukedima district some days back. From where did the Kuki settlers come and settle at the Chumoukedima village ? Questions which the Nagas of Manipur, particularly the Tangkhuls should be raising, instead of raising the voice of protest against the move to fence the porous Indo-Myanmar border and rectify the existing Free Trade Movement. This is why it was disturbing to note that even today, militant groups are busy trying to disrupt the border fencing work and out of the total length of 1643 kilometres stretch not more than 30 kms have been fenced. Or take a look at the composltion of MLAs from the hill areas. While the Nagas, particularly the Tangkhuls seem busy to be calling and demanding delimitation, not much thought seems to have been given to the growing number of Kuki-Zo MLAs, at the cost of the Naga people.
Figures or statistics don’t lie and for more than once The Sangai Express has carried commentaries, detailing the rise in the number of Kuki-Zo MLAs while at the same time touching on the how the number of Naga MLAs has decreased. Why is it that it is has become more and more difficult for a Naga MLA to represent Tengnoupal Assembly Constituency ? Questions which the Naga folks should be raising within themselves. A lesson should be learnt from the Litan incident. Will not make much sense if one continues to talk about ‘infiltrators’ while opposing moves to check cross border movement and border fencing and remodelling the FMR are steps to check infiltrators. If one looks at the series of steps taken up by the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee, it was a stand against infiltrators and this is something that should have been noted a long time back. It was with a reason why there was the generally held belief that the Nagas understand the politics of infiltration and the infiltrators better than the Meiteis and it is precisely because of this that the stand to oppose the border fencing and the new FMR should be given a long, hard look. It is the Nagas who stand to be first affected the most due to the unchecked infiltration from across the border and the importance of this line should be noted. First to be affected and ideally the Nagas should be the first to raise the call to check infiltration from across the border. The Litan incident, the movement launched by the FNCC, the growing number of settlements along NH-2 on the way to Senapati should be more than indicative of the pattern in the infiltration.
Figures or statistics don’t lie and for more than once The Sangai Express has carried commentaries, detailing the rise in the number of Kuki-Zo MLAs while at the same time touching on the how the number of Naga MLAs has decreased. Why is it that it is has become more and more difficult for a Naga MLA to represent Tengnoupal Assembly Constituency ? Questions which the Naga folks should be raising within themselves. A lesson should be learnt from the Litan incident. Will not make much sense if one continues to talk about ‘infiltrators’ while opposing moves to check cross border movement and border fencing and remodelling the FMR are steps to check infiltrators. If one looks at the series of steps taken up by the Foothills Naga Coordination Committee, it was a stand against infiltrators and this is something that should have been noted a long time back. It was with a reason why there was the generally held belief that the Nagas understand the politics of infiltration and the infiltrators better than the Meiteis and it is precisely because of this that the stand to oppose the border fencing and the new FMR should be given a long, hard look. It is the Nagas who stand to be first affected the most due to the unchecked infiltration from across the border and the importance of this line should be noted. First to be affected and ideally the Nagas should be the first to raise the call to check infiltration from across the border. The Litan incident, the movement launched by the FNCC, the growing number of settlements along NH-2 on the way to Senapati should be more than indicative of the pattern in the infiltration.