An open-air gymnasium being set on fire at Churachandpur merely 60 kilometres away from the Manipur capital, Imphal followed by Chief Minister N Biren Singh being advised not to travel to the location are some of the ominous signs indicating that things are not at all shipshape for the BJP in this North Eastern state. If the present state of affairs is anything to go by, voters may not support BJP come 2024 Lok Sabha elections. All this is being pinned over the current functioning style of the present BJP state government which has ruffled a lot of feathers. Describing the Churachandpur incident to be an act of hate mongers, Chief Minister Singh threatened to act tough. Nevertheless, the tough act would not be an easy inclusion in the chief minister’s agenda as after having sworn in recently, the Biren Singh-led BJP government of Manipur has to tread cautiously. The ominous signs of its house being divided were visible right from the time when Singh was about to be sworn in as the chief of BJP’s legislative party.
Trouble had been brewing in Churachandpur ever since Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) had called a sunrise-to-dusk bandh on April 28. The announcement was followed by the arson at the gym the night before the bandh. A rumour of the chief minister going to attend the function sent a large crowd near the gym triggering a stand-off with the police. Tear gas shells were lobbed accompanied by police firing, two policemen were injured and six persons were arrested in the ensuing struggle to maintain law & order. It seems the Kuki community has been rubbed the wrong way after Singh announced forming the Manipur Peoples Commission and asking the Centre to implement the National Register of Citizens in Manipur. The Kuki apprehension cannot be stated to be unfounded as a large number of Kukis have infiltrated from Myanmar and intermingled with their kinsmen with similar surnames and thus stand the risk of losing their citizenship. Trouble appears to have been kickstarted by the present BJP dispensation at Manipur, when Kuki National Organisation and Xomi Revolutionary Organisation, both militant outfits, decided to pull out from suspension of operations.
On the other hand, a letter from ITLF to the chief minister asking him to reconsider the matter has yielded no results. Kukis continue to be rubbed the wrong way after, aiming to evict encroachers, the chief minister ordered a survey of wetlands, reserve forests and protected forests which house many “unofficial” Kuki villages. Though Singh understands the value of the Kuki vote base ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, backtracking on the existing program would boil down to the reduction of the chief minister’s authority. However, it will also open a line of communication with the ITLF which would be advantageous during the election next year. Having said this, offering a sop to the aggrieved Kukis would be a short-term solution as the demand for living space would again be raised in future. Truth to tell, things are steadily going downhill for the saffron camp in Manipur with no indication of a turnaround. Continuing to rest on a bed of laurels of this year’s Assembly polls, it can find itself on a bed of thorns when the Lok Sabha election comes calling next year.
