Radical armed Meitei group Arambai Tenggol earlier this week summoned all Meitei legislators to the Kangla Fort, once the seat of the ancient Meitei kingdom. As many as 37 Meitei legislators responded to the call and attended the meeting, with the notable absence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The legislators, including former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh, took an oath as dictated by Arambai Tenggol members to protect the state's interests. Union Minister and MP from the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency RK Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha member Leishamba Sanajaoba, a member of the royal family that once ruled ancient Manipur, were among those who took the oath. Subsequently, N Biren Singh's signature also appeared among the signatories.
Recently, a central team, including AK Mishra, advisor of northeast affairs for the Union Home Ministry, met Arambai Tenggol leaders. During the meeting, the radical Meitei organisation demanded the implementation of the National Register of Citizens with 1951 as the base year, the scrapping of the Suspension of Operations pact with Kuki 'terrorist' groups, relocation of Myanmarese refugees to Mizoram, fencing along the Indo-Myanmar border, withdrawal of the Assam Rifles personnel from the state, and the delisting of 'illegal' migrants from the Scheduled Tribes list. In the meeting with Meitei MLAs and MPs, the Meitei organisation instructed them to raise these demands.
In the northeast, it has become fashionable to demand the NRC, particularly with the base year as 1951. This is seen as a magic wand to solve issues supposedly caused by illegal immigrants. However, it must be kept in mind that the NRC with 1951 as the base year isn't a proper solution. Rather, such an exercise is likely to create more problems.
A radical armed Meitei organisation, allegedly involved in the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi ethnic conflict, summoning MLAs and MPs for a closed-door meeting and forcing them to take an oath on their terms is a matter of concern for the state's democracy and law and order. More troubling is that, in the meeting, three MLAs, including state Congress president Meghachandra Singh, were reportedly assaulted by Arambai Tenggol members for not agreeing to their demands.
The rise of the armed Meitei outfit Arambai Tenggol, allegedly supported by N Biren Singh and Leishamba Sanajaoba, among the Meiteis, and the rise of Kuki-Zomi terrorists, allegedly supported by the powerful Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum behind the scenes, reveal how Manipur has descended into anarchy, with the rule of law and order taking a backseat.
In the last column, this writer emphasized the need for the imposition of President's Rule in the state and urged the Centre to reconsider the Suspension of Operations pact with the Kuki-Zomi terrorists. These demands remain unchanged, as it is increasingly felt that the state requires immediate central intervention. It is a welcome initiative from the Centre to send a team, including AK Mishra, to the northeastern state to engage with different groups. However, time is running out, and the Centre must act decisively without bias towards Meitei or Kuki-Zomis.
Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections has already begun in the northeastern state of Meghalaya. The state has two Lok Sabha seats — Tura and Shillong. This time, the ruling National People's Party, led by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, is focusing on the women's card by nominating women for both seats—sitting MP Agatha Sangma, sister of Conrad, for the Tura seat, and State Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh for the Shillong seat, previously won by the Congress.
Although NPP aims to win both seats this time, it faces challenges not only from the Congress but also from its allies — the United Democratic Party and the Hill State People's Democratic Party. Both regional parties are part of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, but they have formed a separate alliance, the Regional Democratic Alliance. It has nominated former Hynniewtrep Youth Council president Robertjune Kharjahrin as the candidate for the Shillong seat. In the last Lok Sabha elections, NPP had supported UDP in the seat.
This Tuesday, RDA candidate Robertjune Kharjahrin formally started his campaign for the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency. However, he expressed concerns about the Voice of the People's Party, a new regional party that has also nominated a candidate for this seat. This became evident when Robertjune said that the VPP must join the RDA and even pledged that he would raise the issues of VPP in parliament if elected. In the last state elections, VPP, in its debut election, performed well by winning four seats. Clearly, the presence of VPP in the fight is making RDA worried, as it may divide the votes.
Amid a rift between TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress, the Assam unit of TMC this week joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. State president Ripun Bora said that a large number of party leaders and workers joined the yatra and extended support to Rahul Gandhi.
It has to be mentioned that TMC, dissatisfied with Congress on the issue of seat sharing, recently announced that the party would contest the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal alone. One of the reasons for the dissatisfaction, as reported, is that the Congress is unwilling to cede two-three Lok Sabha seats in Assam for TMC. On the other hand, the grand old party is not willing to give seats as demanded by TMC. As a result, TMC was the only constituent of the Congress-led United Opposition Forum to remain absent when Rahul Gandhi met with Opposition leaders last week in the northeastern state.
So, what changed this week? Rahul Gandhi tried to persuade Mamata Banerjee by saying that he is very close to her. It has to be mentioned that she has also been unhappy with Congress for being unable to restrain West Bengal party president Adhir Chaudhury, also the leader of Congress parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha, from repeatedly targeting her. Adhir is known as one of the fiercest critics of Mamata in Bengal.
It seems that Rahul's persuasion has worked a bit, and as a result, the Assam unit of TMC joined Rahul's yatra, although the seat-sharing issue remains unsolved in the northeastern state. The problem for Congress is that, apart from TMC, it has to allot seats to other constituents of the Opposition like the CPI(M), Raijor Dal, and Assam Jatiya Parishad.
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