The matter is serious and potentially dangerous; Historic Thangjing cannot be converted into Thangting, which does not have any relevance or connection to the age old history of this erstwhile kingdom. If the state government had committed the blunder of issuing a notification for the formation of Thangting sub-division out of ignorance, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi need to furnish an immediate response to the agitators who have been organising bandhs and blockades at Kumbi and Moirang and also along the Tiddim road. The matter is about insulting the history of this erstwhile kingdom as well as showing disrespect to the indigenous deity of the people of this region. The seriousness of the issue should be well understood and the present government should not make any mistake of stoking the communal tension by remaining silent as this specific issue has the likely possibility of sparking yet another tumultuous time in the state.
Well, it was indeed surprising to guess as to why the government of Manipur had intentionally converted the Historic Thangjing into Thangting. Even a child in the state knows the history, legend and myth that encircle around Thangjing.
The very terminology often used by administrators under the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi regime is that ‘the formation of Thangting Sub division is solely for administrative convenience’.
But the question being put up by various sections of people including the Meitei is why the name should be Thangting instead of the original name Thangjing.
As according to the Manipur Gazette, the Governor of Manipur passed an order dated August 25, 2014 stating that Thangting Sub Division /TD Block in Churachandpur District has been created in the larger interest of the general public. This newly created sub division consists of 125 villages of Churachandpur district. The governor of Manipur passed the order in pursuance of the cabinet Decision taken in a meeting held on August 7, 2014.
Interestingly the name “Thangting” is not enlisted among the 125 villages mentioned, which means that the district administration has to find a location and name Thangting to establish a sub-divisional head quarter. Or otherwise it is well known that the term Thangting used by them is nothing but the historic Thangjing which has been associated with the Moirang Kangleirol(History of Manipur).
Another fact is that among the 125 villages which have been enlisted in the so called Thangting Sub Division, village chiefs of around 100 villages had already opposed the idea of naming the sub division to Thangting. According to these chiefs there is no village called Thangting and if the sole purpose of creating the new sub division is for administrative convenience than the name of the sub-division should be Khousabung.
Beside, being centrally located in relation to all the other villages, Khousabung has an inalienable relation with the history of Moirang Kangleirol.
People of Moirang or Kumbi might not have any objection if the newly created sub division is name as Khousabung sub division or any other which does not insult the traditional deity of the Meitei people. Moreover, Thangjing can never be a part of Churachandpur district as the location cannot be divided from the history of Moirang Kangleirol.
Chief Minister Okram Ibobi need to act soon, and decisively at that, before any undesirable and unfortunate consequences arises.
