Beyond ethnicity and territoriality

For more than two months, till mid-June, the people in Manipur survived without basic necessities as result of economic blockade imposed by blocking the two national highways that connect the state with the rest of the Northeast. Yet even after the suspension of the blockade, there seems to be no easy solution to dissipate the tense atmosphere and prevent another crisis, with a distinct lack of initiative to find a solution. New Delhi maintained an almost complete public silence throughout the impasse. And while the state government in Imphal took a strong position on the issue of territorial integrity, it seemed largely indifferent to the suffering, other than some publicity-friendly but largely insignificant acts such as the airlifting of essential commodities and theatrical acts such as a one-time effort leading a few hundred trucks down National Highway 53. But such actions served a more sentimental value and did little to address the issue at hand. As the situation unfolded, however, it became increasingly clear that such emotional reactions have become the dominant form of political mobilisation, to the detriment of all sides.

The Manipur deadlock is a manifestation of the larger politics in the Indian Northeast, particularly in Manipur. This became especially visible with regards to the plan by Thuingaleng Muivah, the leader of the armed pro-independence National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), to visit his home village in Manipur. Those who opposed the visit maintained that Manipur's territorial integrity could not be compromised, warning of the dangers inherent in the politics that Muivah espouses, and the threat to the historically founded territory of Manipur. Supporters of Muivah, on the other hand, see all this as further proof of the continuation of the Meitei's historical domination over other groups in Manipur, including the Naga. Each party sees the other as advocating politics of ethnic exclusion, with both mobilising differing histories to substantiate their points.