Forgotten dialogues convened at Delhi Relying on doctored reality
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One wonders what has happened to the dialogue/meetings held at Delhi between civil society organisations representing the Meiteis and the Kukis. More importantly when was the last time such a meeting was held ? Sometime in late November of 2024 the Union Home Ministry hosted a round of talk involving MLAs drawn from the Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga communities at Delhi but then there has been no follow up on this, that is as far as it is to the knowledge of this newspaper. Back then BJP North East in charge, Sambit Patra, BJP Manipur in charge Ajit Gopchadde and IB officials attended the meeting and apart from the participating MLAs refusing to spell out the details of what were discussed the only things that emerged clearly was that it was not clear whether another such meeting would be held or not. In short, the November 2024 meeting ended without any tangible results to show. The same script runs through the meetings hosted by Delhi between CSOs representing the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos, suggesting that the meetings had failed to break the deadlock. This was sometime in 2024 and 2025 and fast forward to 2026 and it is now more than obvious that any meeting of CSOs would now have to involve the Naga people as well. From a clash between two communities it has metamorphosed into a three way conflict and written in large is the abject failure of Delhi. And it makes sense to point fingers at Delhi. Just after Manipur went up in flames on May 3, 2023, Delhi appointed a Security Advisor and along with the new post came the re-arrangement in the security set up. The Security Advisor was made the Chairman of the Unified Command, replacing the then Chief Minister. Manipur was still very much under the popularly elected Government and despite this it was the Centre which hand picked the men to be the Chief Secretary and the DGP, trashing the line, ‘Chief Secretary and DGP appointed at the discretion of the Chief Minister.’ Even after more than three years of the violence erupting, it is still not clear whether Article 355 has been imposed in the State or not but it is more than obvious that everything is being decided by the Centre or the Union Home Ministry. The failure to expand the Council of Ministers to its full strength of 12 should alone tell so many things. Delhi should also not forget that the accusing finger being pointed at the Central security forces amounts to two or three fingers pointed at Delhi and in Delhi they see the Union Home Ministry, an office run by the saffron party. This much must be clear and whether the next Assembly election is held in 2027 or 2029, it will not put the party in a position of strength. Even today, despite reports coming in of security forces having zeroed in on Ebenezer camp of the KNF (P) at Kangpokpi district, the air is thick with suspicion and conspiracy theory that this could be another sham, for the said camp is a designated SoO camp. At the same time it may also be asked why such a hue and cry have been raised by the Kuki CSOs as it is a designated camp and herein one may see a tale hanging.
The failure of the earlier joint meetings hosted by the Union Home Ministry at Delhi may be said to reflect the huge trust deficit between the Central security forces and the Nagas and the Meiteis. If Delhi is sensitive or has taken cognizance of the reality here, it could have dealt with the conflict situation very differently. But more than clear that it is the demand of geo-politics which has made Delhi see things the way it wants to see. And this is what is unacceptable to the people for a weaved reality can never be the reality. This is a fact and it is the refusal of Delhi to see the real reality, the truth, that has emboldened the fake narratives to take firm roots and emboldened the Kuki militants to go to the extent of opening two ‘war fronts’, one against Meiteis and the other against the Nagas. It is the ‘expertise’ with which the doctored narratives have been fed to the outside world that the Meiteis and the Nagas should be aware of and this need to be demonstrated in what they do. The failure to carry on or continue with the joint meetings at Delhi and the failure to show anything as follow ups after the initial rounds of meeting tells so many things.
The failure of the earlier joint meetings hosted by the Union Home Ministry at Delhi may be said to reflect the huge trust deficit between the Central security forces and the Nagas and the Meiteis. If Delhi is sensitive or has taken cognizance of the reality here, it could have dealt with the conflict situation very differently. But more than clear that it is the demand of geo-politics which has made Delhi see things the way it wants to see. And this is what is unacceptable to the people for a weaved reality can never be the reality. This is a fact and it is the refusal of Delhi to see the real reality, the truth, that has emboldened the fake narratives to take firm roots and emboldened the Kuki militants to go to the extent of opening two ‘war fronts’, one against Meiteis and the other against the Nagas. It is the ‘expertise’ with which the doctored narratives have been fed to the outside world that the Meiteis and the Nagas should be aware of and this need to be demonstrated in what they do. The failure to carry on or continue with the joint meetings at Delhi and the failure to show anything as follow ups after the initial rounds of meeting tells so many things.