President’s Rule is an Opportunity to Clean Up The Mess in Manipur

Kakistocracy is a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. The episode unfolding in Manipur is beginning to look like a kakistocracy – a state where the least suitable or least competent citizens of a state have been elected to become MLAs to run a government.

The inability to find a suitable replacement for the post of Chief Minister after 20 months of leadership crisis seems to point to the fact that democracy has failed in Manipur as elections are won by means other than intellectual prowess. Let this be a lesson to the electorate to elect competent, well-bred and educated persons in future without falling prey to money and muscle power.

Only dominant community MLA can become CM

Kakistocracy has to be understood in the context of Manipur where an MLA only from the dominant community i.e. the Meitei community can become the Chief Minister. This post is not available to the 20 tribals MLAs of Manipur since the dominant society decided in the late 1990’s that only a Meitei should be allowed to occupy the CM chair.

Realistically speaking, the crèche of MLAs from where the CM material can be chosen is confined to 40 MLAs from the Imphal valley out of a total of 60 MLAs. Even out of 40 MLAs, the MLAs belonging to the Muslim community and the opposition party is excluded from the group of eligible persons for CM post.

Against such exclusivist tendency of the dominant community of Manipur, who refuse to share power and funds with other citizens of the state, it is not surprising that the helpless and discontented tribal communities, both Nagas and the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar tribes have been seeking a more empowered local self government arrangement since the 1970’s before Manipur became a full fledged State in 1972 to be masters of their own affairs.

The tribes got the autonomous district council in the “Hill Areas” of Manipur which was buttressed by Article 371-C providing for a “Hill Areas Committee” (HAC) in the Manipur State Assembly and the Presidential Order dated 20th June 1972 specifying the scope, procedures, powers and functions of the HAC during the period of transition of Manipur from a ‘Part C’ state to a full fledged state in 1971-72.

However, with the passage of time it became clear to tribal MLAs from “Hill Areas” that the dominant community will always obstruct the functioning of autonomous district council (ADCs) and HAC.

Hidden agenda to grab tribal lands from the “Hill Areas” of Manipur

The current discontentment of the tribes was compounded further by the demand of dominant and advanced Meitei community for Scheduled Tribes (ST) status ostensibly for government jobs but with a hidden agenda to grab tribal lands from the “Hill Areas” of Manipur.

The manner in which the petitioners for ST status demand for Meitei community were able to secure a favourable order from the Manipur High Court without the government counsels (State and Centre) objecting or asking for time and issuing an Oral Order on the day of motion i.e. 27th of March 2023 by consent of all parties in the petition, but the Order becoming public knowledge only on 19th of April 2023 when it was uploaded in the High Court website, did not instil any confidence in the minds of the tribes that the State government has been impartial and will be impartial in future.

The court’s order added to the frustration of the tribal youth and coupled with provocative reactions of the dominant community to the solidarity march of the tribal students and the incompetent handling of the volatile situation by the district administration and state government, the clashes became an ethnic conflict between the Meitei community and Kuki-Zomi-Hmar tribes.

Centre must understand the frustration of tribes

Under such circumstances, the central government must understand the frustration of the tribes and their deep concern to continue to be part of Manipur which offer them no prospect of holding the post of CM, no empowered local self government on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council while the Imphal valley enjoy guarantees under Article 243 to Article 243 O, no guarantee of state government being impartial, fair and just on the ST demand of Meitei community thereby threatening alienation of tribal lands in the “Hill Areas”, no guarantee that the HAC would be allowed to function properly as envisaged under Article 371-C and the Presidential Order dated 20th June 1972, and no guarantee that administration and development in Manipur will be inclusive for all citizens.

Also Read: In Manipur, a Pawn Is Sacrificed to Save the King

President’s rule is an opportunity to set right all the things that are wrong in Manipur. These includes recovery of looted police guns and ammunitions, restoring rule of law by reigning in non-state actors engaged in extortions and obstructing law enforcement authorities, inclusive and non-communal approach in postings of government functionaries, equitable distribution of development funds to Hill Areas based on backwardness criteria, equitable distribution of major government infrastructure and institutions for Hill Areas and Imphal valley, and fixing accountability on government functionaries for delinquency in discharging their functions properly so that the mayhem that took place on 3rd of May 2023 and its aftermath does not repeat again.

Foremost, President’s Rule would also provide the best opportunity to bring about political settlements to end the current ethnic conflict and mete out similar treatment to the demands of Naga tribes.