No more negative narratives: Enough has been suffered

Manipur is a mini-India being a home to different communities from the time immemorial. Any community in the state can only claim their belongingness to Manipur but no ownership even by mistake. We are all sons and daughters of Mother Manipur. It will also be equally unbecoming on the part of any community even to dwell on mutilating the territorial boundary of our motherland.
The unique beauty of unity in diversity of Manipur has witnessed four dark phases in the form of communal violence – Naga-Kuki, Kuki-Paite and Meitei-Pangal in the past and presently Meitei-Kuki claiming hundreds of innocent lives and properties worth crores of rupees rendering thousands homeless. The latest communal violence which resurfaced in the State from 3 May, 2023 has claimed more than 260 precious lives. Many others are also got injured and thousands of houses have been burnt down in the conflict rendering about 60 thousand people homeless. For them, the past is suffering and future is bleak. The havoc brought about by the 22-month-old communal violence is not yet resolved. However, a ray of hope has come in the peace process with the resignation of N. Biren Singh from the post of Chief Ministership.
A significant change has been witnessed in practice and really the situation is gradually improving with the promulgation of PR from 13 February last. The improvement has forced us to assert that the PR should have been promulgated months before as it is performing better than the past Biren regime in all fronts. At this juncture, every CSO belonging to any community in the state and any reasonable Manipuri should better think of a reverse osmosis of the social fabric in the state. All negative narratives as well as hyperactive moves which will further widen the communal rift are to be drained out from the mindset of the CSOs and social intellectuals if they have no iota of malafide intention. We must reach out for the meeting points and later to broaden the areas agreed upon and gradually narrow down the contentious issues. We cannot expect 100 percent from any section in one go, even the examinations have no benchmark of 100 for passing it. We must be honest in letter and spirit if we want peace and with a vested interest, we can never achieve it, it got already proved.
Even Nagas, Meitei- Pangals and Nepalese other than Meiteis and Kukis are also suffering from the conflict. It is high time that the community leaders of both the warring sides adopt the principle of forget and forgive for whatever happened in the past. Both the communities have no other option but to live together in Manipur in any situation even after the violence. Therefore, both must think on working together towards building a conducive atmosphere to come to a peaceful dialogue in the larger interest of the state and particularly in the interest of their future generations.
The Governor’s initiatives for complete disarmament of illegally possessed weapons to establish the rule of law and union home ministry’s commitment for free vehicular movement along the National Highways passing through the state from 8 March are worth appreciation and it needs the fullest cooperation from all the stakeholders. There are both good and bad elements in every community. However, all communities in Manipur would have the same goal – a better future for their next generations. No reasonable Manipuri either Meitei or Kuki would like their children’s territory gets lost, illegal immigrants get captured and settled at their children’s land, their future generation gets ruined by narcotics, and they inherited a land not suitable for human habitation with destruction of forest areas. The need of the hour is to work with a collective approach to cleanse the bad blood in every community and to nip at the bud the nefarious designs of evil forces through democratic mechanism.
It is a 22-months’ cherished dream to the IDPs to resettle to their original habitations. The exercise to realise it may need a calculative move in a phase manner mapping the vulnerability of the locations and requirement of full proof security with a view to community equations in a non-partisan manner to regain the lost trust of both the communities. Negative narratives and unilateral moves from either side of the communities in conflict may prove a hindrance with the peace initiative and it will be in the larger interest of the state to give peace a chance to return by complying with the systematic move of the Governor’s meticulous scheme, observing optimum restraint not to provoke communal sentiments. Let’s hope that Bhalla proves his mettle. No more negative narratives, enough has been suffered.