The politics of releasing hostages Looking beyond the obvious
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The politics of ‘goodwill’. The 14 Kuki men kept hostage since May 13 have been freed and one can see ‘humanity’ written all over the very act of freeing them, people who had nothing to do with the abduction and subsequent ‘disappearance’ of the six Naga men, who were first abducted on May 13 at Leilon Vaiphei village. To the casual observer, the new development will not mean more than one line, ‘14 abducted Kuki men freed after nearly a month of captivity,’ but to the keen observer and those with the knack of looking beyond the obvious, there could be something more than just the act of releasing the abducted men. A look at the words of gratitude given to the list of personalities should give one a rough idea. Suggesting that the 14 Kuki hostages were freed after intervention from the office of the Union Home Ministry, the inputs of Church leaders and the Chief Minister of Nagaland, will not be off the mark and this is where the need to look beyond the obvious and try to understand the stakes that could have been discussed becomes important. And this observation is made not without basis. Remember the choice of words used by a Church leader, wherein the abducted Kuki men were referred to as ‘detainees’ and not ‘hostages’ and things should be a little clearer. To get a better understanding of the situation, a brief recap may be in line. The Kuki men were rounded up after news of 18 Naga people, including women and children being picked up and whisked away from Leilon Vaiphei village on May 13 went viral. The Naga people were waylaid and abducted after news of the assassination of three Thadou Church leaders May 13 along the Churachandpur- Kangpokpi road went viral. While womenfolk and children were released, the six Naga men were kept in captivity and the general belief was that the 14 Kuki men would be released in exchange of the 6 Naga men. That this is not the case is what is flummoxing and this is precisely the reason why there is the growing need for the people as a whole to look beyond the mere act of releasing the abducted men and try to understand the politics that could have gone into securing the release of the 14 Kuki men. A point which Manipur would need to study and try to understand instead of just staring and letting their personal opinion on whether the release was a prudent move or not get the better of them. The need is for Manipur to always go beyond what is obvious and try to understand the political current of the day and the profile of the Nagas and Kukis. So what could be the politics at work behind the release of the 14 Kuki men ?
With a BJP led Government at Imphal as well as a BJP led Government at Delhi, the State Government is best placed to study and try to understand the circumstances that led to the Nagas willingly releasing the 14 Kuki men even though no one knows the fate of the six Naga men. The question however is whether Imphal would be taken into confidence by either Delhi or the Naga organisations and the Kuki organisations. A look at the reality may go some way in understanding the politics at work here. The release of the 14 Kuki men would not have been possible without the endorsement of the NSCN (IM). The Chief Minister of Nagaland would not have taken a personal interest in appealing for the release of the Kuki men without the prodding of someone else, the someone who may have something to dangle before him. And the politics of using the term ‘detainees’ instead of hostages should be clear to Manipur, that is if Manipur can look beyond the muscle flexing exercise that comes along with the understanding of street politics and are not blinded by the smoke coming from the fire lit in the middle of the roads. To the Kuki community, the hostage drama is over, for they have got what they wanted and this is where everyone, particularly Manipur must also acknowledge that it is only after playing the right card that can the Union Home Ministry be persuaded to speak or act on one’s behalf or get the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State to chant a language they want. Playing the right politics.
With a BJP led Government at Imphal as well as a BJP led Government at Delhi, the State Government is best placed to study and try to understand the circumstances that led to the Nagas willingly releasing the 14 Kuki men even though no one knows the fate of the six Naga men. The question however is whether Imphal would be taken into confidence by either Delhi or the Naga organisations and the Kuki organisations. A look at the reality may go some way in understanding the politics at work here. The release of the 14 Kuki men would not have been possible without the endorsement of the NSCN (IM). The Chief Minister of Nagaland would not have taken a personal interest in appealing for the release of the Kuki men without the prodding of someone else, the someone who may have something to dangle before him. And the politics of using the term ‘detainees’ instead of hostages should be clear to Manipur, that is if Manipur can look beyond the muscle flexing exercise that comes along with the understanding of street politics and are not blinded by the smoke coming from the fire lit in the middle of the roads. To the Kuki community, the hostage drama is over, for they have got what they wanted and this is where everyone, particularly Manipur must also acknowledge that it is only after playing the right card that can the Union Home Ministry be persuaded to speak or act on one’s behalf or get the Chief Minister of a neighbouring State to chant a language they want. Playing the right politics.