The Bodoland Territorial Region’s self-governing success may just be what Manipur needs

In the violence in Manipur on May 3, several lives were lost, homes burnt, and livelihoods disrupted. (File photo)

In the chaos accompanying large-scale violence since May 3 in Manipur, lives have been lost, homes burnt, and livelihoods disrupted. The very thought of having to rebuild from scratch, of having lost all earthly possessions, and of having to live in relief camps is unfathomable, unless one has walked that thorny path. There’s a sort of insane rage out there that has suspended people’s sense of reasoning and their humanity. The hard stances adopted by the parties in conflict make it well-nigh impossible to think of rapprochement at this juncture.

Owing to fresh bouts of violence, curfew hours have been extended instead of being gradually lessened. The violence that started on May 3, has officially claimed over a hundred lives (the real numbers are yet unknown and will perhaps never be known) and displaced over 45,000 people of both the Kuki-Zomi communities and the Meiteis.

What one sees unfolding in Manipur is a total collapse of law and order – a state subject. More worryingly, the question of collusion also comes up. This is especially so, given the “looting” of weapons from the state policy, as had happened on May 3, the day the rioting broke out, when some extremist groups from the Valley – the Arambai Tengol and Meitei Leepun – unleashed violence in the Imphal valley burning homes of Kuki tribals and looting weapons from no less than the armoury of the Manipur Police Training College and eight other police stations.

That ten MLAs representing the Kuki people have written to the Union Home Minister seeking a separate administrative arrangement is posing a challenge to the Centre. In sum, they want nothing less than a self-governance model along the lines of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India which grants to tribes the right to govern themselves and to develop the areas under their control in a nuanced way which might not be possible under a government where a non-tribal majority is in control.

A very robust form of the Sixth Schedule is seen in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) with extensive powers to develop the hitherto neglected human resource of the areas and create institutions that would address the educational and developmental backlog and also ensure that people don’t feel the sense of neglect that leads to dystopia and pushes them to take up arms against the state.

Rising unemployment in every state of the Northeast and the inability of those elected to govern effectively, to think outside the box and create situations where investments can flow in, and helping the youth to be gainfully employed outside the government sector, remain a persisting problem in the region. The large youth demographic can be a source of discontent if it works like a misguided missile.

And states with multi-ethnic populations need people with statesmanship qualities to be at the helm. Chief Ministers cannot be seen to represent one or other communities. They should represent the entire population of the state and rise above their ethnic biases.

To play the ethnic card in governance is a dangerous trend because it creates a crisis of confidence in the governed. This is further aggravated by the easy availability of arms from across the porous borders of this region. There are vested interests that take advantage of this youth power and that makes it a dangerous cocktail.

The much-delayed visit of Home Minister Amit Shah to the troubled districts of Manipur has raised faint hopes that the violence might gradually abate. But will the violence abate unless some contentious issues are addressed? What happens after Amit Shah’s return to the safety of the national capital? Will people forget the violence and the intrinsic differences that have driven a wedge between the communities in conflict? It is said that any conflict has to first be managed before it can be resolved.

The parties in conflict need to go away from the table each believing they have won their case. This win-win situation is what Amit Shah has to programme. Can he do it?  This demand for self- governance should not be construed as a demand for a separate homeland and a vivisection of Manipur.

Let’s face some facts. Most institutions of governance from universities to medical colleges to state and central government establishments are all located in Imphal valley. Let the tribes also create similar institutions under a new local self-governing arrangement and be held accountable by their people. That’s the sole, just solution.

There have been enough failed experiments with Article 371(C) where the state government has never allowed the Hill Areas Council to function as per their stated mandate. This Article is past its date. The only salve for the tribals is to get busy with administering their hills but with the supervision of the Governor who is to send regular reports to the President of India. The district councils should be adequately funded by the Centre as is happening with the BTR. That should quell the dissonance among the hill tribes.