The solution to the present state of flux in the NE State is to give tribals the right to manage their affairs
The Kuki-Zo tribes of Manipur are currently in conflict with the Meitei community. Conflicts in the North East are rooted in ethnicity and have existed since the country gained independence due to the British policy.
The system developed by the British excluded the tribal areas wholly or partially, keeping them away from the authority of the popular legislature and denied representation to them. As a result, the political awakening and growth which the other parts of the country went through was absent in the North East.
Delicate Identities
Tribal identities are very delicate and their incorporation in the modern state is challenging. The Zo people are indigenous tribes of Manipur/Mizoram spread across North East India, Bangladesh and the Chin State of Myanmar. They are believed to have a common ancestor, Zo, though they are variedly known today as Chin, Kuki, Mizo or Zomi. The Zo tribe is supposed to have a different theory of origin, thereby raising doubt about their homeland as over a period, they had spread to Manipur, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Finally, the Zo tribes got identified as the Lost Tribes of Israel and as a result migration to Israel also took place recently.
Similarly, the Nagas’ identity also makes them spread over a large area now distributed between various States in India and also neighbouring countries. This shows the peculiarity of the tribal identity, their homelands and the modern political institutions.
The modern States, particularly in the colonial regions, were carved out by the erstwhile colonisers. They drew boundaries for primarily administrative convenience and economic growth. Colonialism as a mode of geopolitics was carried out to boost economic growth in the home country at the cost of the colonies.
Difficult Terrain
The North East was a difficult area to administer. The British kept the region at arm’s length from the mainland through instruments like the Inner Line Permit and permissions to visit it. This lack of interaction with the mainland led to suspicion and an absence of nationalism in the region.
After Independence, the new Constitution gave adequate protection to the North East tribes by means of the Sixth Schedule keeping into consideration their sensitivity. However, tribal differences were hard to understand, and it was difficult to solve the administrative problems connected with ethnicity, although, in the Indian Constitutional concept, autonomy is a much larger concept than local government.
The Manipur government’s proposal to roll back reorganisation of districts carried out in December 2016 by the Congress government will further fuel distrust
In December 2016, the Congress government of Ibobi Singh, for administrative efficiency, created new districts by bifurcating seven of the nine districts of Manipur months ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections. The most contentious issue was the creation of the Kuki-Zomi-dominated Kangpokpi district, carved out of the Sadar Hills region of Naga-dominated Senapati district. The Nagas viewed it as an encroachment upon their homeland thereby affecting their ancestral lands.
This condition, arising from the creation of new districts, made the Zo tribes satisfied. However, the current plan of rewinding the earlier formation of new districts will be catastrophic. It will make the Kuki-Zo tribes feel insecure.
Contentious Issue
As highlighted, the carving of these boundaries is the most contentious issue for the modern state as the administrative convenience clashes with the ethnicity of the various tribes. The violence since 2023 in Manipur broke out because the State government wanted to give Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis who reside basically in the Imphal Valley. The opposition by the Kuki-Zo tribes led to violence in the valley and the reintroduction of AFSPA in six police stations. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been in effect in Manipur since 1980, with gradual withdrawals and reintroductions based on the security situation.
The ongoing negotiation with the Nagas, if implemented, will again make the Kuki-Zo tribes vulnerable and deepen the divide. The Manipur government is likely to put up a proposal during the April 25 talks to roll back the reorganisation of the districts carried out by the Ibobi Singh government. The Kuki-Naga distrust will lead to violence in case the districts are rolled back once again.
These problems are the result of the colonial demarcation, administrative rationale and subsequent efforts by Independent India for political stability and growth. The solution is to implement the decentralisation of the tribals and let them manage their own affairs with the least interference from the State and the central governments.
The solution to the present state of flux in Manipur, in particular, and the North East, in general, is to make tribals feel psychologically safe and give them the right to manage their affairs. This empowerment of the tribals will help end ethnic violence, leading to prosperity and peace returning to the region.
The 72nd and 73rd Constitutional Amendments and the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Area (PESA) Act, 1996, are positive actions by the Centre to strengthen local governance. Though the Autonomous Councils have not been effective in running the affairs, the need of the hour is to empower the tribals and strengthen the Councils/local governance to preserve their way of life and cultures, and also prevent them from being swamped by the people from the other areas.
