Rebel group Revolutionary Peoples’ Front is celebrating the 36th Raising Day of its armed wing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on September 25. In the regard president of the Front Irengbam Chaoren sent message to the people of Manipur.In his message Irngbam Chaoren stated that – The Second World War brought colonialism to an end in many colonised nations and countries but many other nations missed this historical opportunity and they are still struggling for independence. The armed revolutionary movement of Syria, Basque Nationality Movement in Spain, Zapastita Movement in Mexico, Latin American people’s struggle against US dominance, Tamil Nationality Movement in Sri Lanka, Maoists Movement in India, the question of Kashmir nationality, numerous liberation movements of Western South East Asia (WESEA) are some of the major contemporary anti-imperialist movements. Among them, the question of Manipur’s sovereignty always occupies a prominent position.Manipur was among the many nations which regained their sovereignty at the end of the Second World War. After drafting a democratic constitution, Manipur started its first experiment with modern representative government. But it was nipped in the bud when India, freed from the British colonial yoke just two years back, adopted their colonial master’s policy of imperialism and forcibly annexed Manipur on September 21, 1949. In the process to establish modern India, more than 565 independent nations/kingdoms were coerced, forced and annexed into the Indian Union which was shaped and realized in the shadow of British imperialism. The nationality questions of Kashmir and Manipur are the undeniable testimonies of how the Government of India has been subjecting different erstwhile independent nations to colonialism or neo-colonialism.The collective voice of Manipuri people for independence after their tryst with freedom and representative government was cut short was a historical necessity. It is national tragedy different sections of Manipuri people have different interpretations and perspectives on the ongoing liberation movement which inadvertently has been abetting consolidation of the colonial rule. Such divergent views project the liberation movement in the wrong light and tend to impede the legitimate movement. Imperial India is well adept to capitalise on this disunity and they quickly bred a comprador class. This comprador class and the so-called elites though small in number, pose a formidable hurdle to the liberation movement. They play sycophancy to their colonial masters (India) and in return derive power and wealth to exploit the oppressed mass.These handful of people eventually take refuge in Indian electoral politics and join hands with their colonial masters in looting invaluable natural resources of WESEA. In the name of construction of railways, there is a continuous immigration of Indian labourers. The Government of India has been conspiring relentlessly to construct mega dams over our precious rivers with the help of external funding agencies like the Asian Development Bank to generate power not for the benefit of our people but to extract maximum profit. Tipaimukh as well as the four new dams for which a memorandum of understanding was signed between Manipur government and NEEPCO in August this year would not bring any meaningful development to our people except for opening a big opportunity for foreign companies to earning huge profits.The pervasive wave of capitalism, emboldened by the imperial India’s newly adopted soft border policy has been transformed into an insatiable monster for plundering all the natural resources of Manipur. India in collaboration with many multi-national companies and agencies has been over exploiting all the hydro-carbon and hydel resources of Manipur since the past decade under its neo-liberal economic policy.Counter revolutionary policies are inherent in all modes of developmentalism as espoused and followed by India in WESEA. India has been continuously bargaining with the neighbouring countries with its eyes set on suppressing the legitimate liberation movements.Manipur’s present predicament, its genesis and all the catalysts demand dissection and introspection. Overlooking this fundamental question would be self defeating even though this question is anathema to the handful of parasites who are thriving on the colonial rule. It is this handful of parasites who have been tirelessly scheming to de-politicise Manipur-India conflict thereby projecting the armed revolutionary movement as something bereft of political goals or commitment. This group of people who have been enjoying positions of power and deriving material benefits through treachery or sycophancy has a burning but concealed desire to see the downfall of the legitimate liberation movement. This is understandable for their vested interests, wealth accumulated through dubious means, their exploitative operations, seats of power and corrupted administration would find no place in the new, independent Manipur.In the meantime, an extensive network is being built up among those people who are actively engaged in perpetuating the colonial rule. The network is employed to misinterpret, disparage and subdue the revolutionary movement. They have been churning out volumes after volumes of propaganda in their attempt to convince the mass that Manipur would not survive without government of India’s assistance. The question “What should we eat after independence?” is an outcome of the continuous propaganda churned out by the mercenaries of the colonial rule. Employing all such dubious and half-cooked conspiracies and propaganda, the comprador class has been relentlessly working to project the liberation movement as something implausible bereft of legitimacy. They have been scheming to confuse the mass by popularising such terms like ‘misguided youths’ or ‘anti-social elements’ for revolutionary cadres as well as the political thoughts which critique colonial rule and advocate independence. Over the years, these terms assume potent implications and they are incorporated into the colonial military strategy. For instance, people who deserted the revolutionary movement were mobilized to set up gangs and they are being used as convenient agents to oppress the mass, extort money and smuggle drugs. Surrender or ‘home-coming’ ceremonies and suspension of operation pacts are some common elements of the propaganda machinery oiled and sustained to project the revolutionary movement in bad light and create a disconnect between the revolutionaries and our people.The growing necessity for the majority mass to join and support the liberation movement is testified by crumbling economy, social disorder and distressful relationship among different communities in the aftermath of the forced annexation of Manipur into the Indian Union. As consequences of India’s long term and vigorous policies, Manipur has been rendered dependent economically, inter-community relationships have been strained and rampant human rights violation have become a daily occurrence. This evokes a serious question. “What is our duty to the nation at this crucial historical juncture?” The answer to this question will definitely be a major determiner of our political future. There can be no two answers to this question for the simple reason that nothing is more precious than freedom to mankind. Freedom is paramount because freedom defines life whereas subservience or subjugation symbolizes death.Ethnic politics and its ramifications which are fast engulfing every sphere of the geo-political entity called Manipur is a phenomenon which took its roots in the aftermath of the annexation of Manipur into the Indian Union. By plunging ourselves in the whirlwind of ethnic politics rather than questioning the larger imperial politics, we are inadvertently strengthening and consolidating the colonial rule. It’s time to question and challenge the separate or non-uniform policies which are creating a hill-valley dichotomy. Deployment of additional security forces in hill areas, imposition of AFSPA or CrPC 144 and hill-valley polarization are being promoted by the ruling elites to sustain their power politics at the cost of common men. By using words and phrases with communal overtones, the ruling class has been attenuating Manipur from within. Guided and driven by their common class interest, the ruling elites of Manipur have been defending and collaborating with the colonial rule. Through extensive militarization and formulation of separate or non-uniform policies, India has been continuously threatening the integrity of Manipur. Just like what imperial India has been doing for the past many decades, some insurgent groups have been capitalising on the ethnic conflict situation by fuelling and abetting such conflicts to divert public scrutiny from their misplaced revolutionary strategies and initiatives. It’s time to discard such ethnic-based divisive policies and join hands with fellow revolutionaries for a united struggle. RPF strongly condemn on the militarization of Ukhrul denizens. It is a matter of fact that people of both the hills and valley have been living in the shadow of heavy militarization, a process which started since the day Manipur was annexed into the Indian Union. Of late, some NGOs, activists and self-proclaimed scholars have been openly shouting for ‘peace’ and they even formed peace committee. This created confusion to the mass. These NGOs and scholars have been conveniently overlooking the centrality of independence and working as agents of imperial India for some material benefits. Their activities breed suspicion among the people on the core objective of freedom and the armed method employed to achieve the core objective. It comes as no surprise when people brought up in the midst of institutions run by the Indian State indulge in such political trickery. Revolutionary groups of the land can see their game plan inside out and our people should be always on guard against such seemingly harmless elements.There are human civilizations on Earth because each of them has their distinctive identities. When the distinctive identity of any nation is threatened, no time must be lost in tackling the forces or elements posing threats to the collective identity. But it is easier said than done in the face of the sweeping currents of globalization. Many small nations across the world are being steadily wiped out, many others are on the verge of extinction. Although globalization boosted world economy and converted the whole world into mammoth market under highly liberalized trade regime, globalization poses serious threats to many small nations. The only escape route from these serious threats is sovereignty, self-reliance and egalitarianism.The Indian neo-colonial regimes have failed to display the main objective of the democratic system such as sovereignty, social emancipation, development, security, peace and the establishment of equality which unable to overcome the inherent structural crisis. If the structural violence and social inequality seen all over India are any indication, India and its form of government is anything but democracy. There can no provision for perpetuating colonial rule in any democratic set-up. It is a common knowledge that colonised people are not given most of the fundamental rights enjoyed by free men. It must be our common voice that freedom is our birth right and we are equally eligible for all the rights enjoyed by people anywhere on the planet.
