When our illiterate grannies and grandpas tell us stories of the atrocities and ill treatments meted out to the Nagas by the Manipuris, they were speaking out from their hearts and simply stating the facts. They also told us stories of how the Manipuri kings with their superior army comes to the hills to loot and destroy our villages from time to time because of our refusal to pay them tax, but at the same time made us proud by telling us that our ancestors never surrendered to their kings. The Manipuris may rubbish these stories - sad, but we Nagas, believe in our tradition.
The suppression of the hills men particularly the Nagas who are minority in terms of population, must have got ingrained into their mentality so much so that they (Manipuris) continue to do so even today. Here let me bring out some glaring points. In 1948 3 (three) unarmed persons participating in a peaceful protest were mercilessly shot down by soldiers sent by the Manipuri king Bodhachandra at Mao Gate. Then history of brutal suppression was re-enacted again on 6lh May 20 10, during the peace rally at Mao Gate where 2 students were mercilessly shot dead and around a hundred injured mostly women, in indiscriminate firing by the so called commandoes and armed Manipur police. If these are not indications of suppression of a people and their right, then what is it? The present economic blockade called by the Naga organizations is the direct outcome of the ongoing ADC election forced upon the tribals in general and Nagas in particular. In simple words - when people from some other community passes a resolution in a meeting and tries to take away your land, your fields, your ancestral land holdings and force you to raise your hand in favor of the resolution, what do you do? When your voice of protest against this is drown out by the thunderous voice of the majority. What do you do? Write some dumb placards 'Protect my Rights' 'I want justice' - sit in the scorching heat and get sun burns or sit in the rain and catch cold? Even in the not so distant past, Manipuri language which they called Meitielon was imposed on the tribals and forcibly made a compulsory subject in schools against the wishes of the tribal people for an optional subject. How's that? Isn't it an attitude of 'my language is superior to yours, so learn my language or else!' Nagas have been bearing up their attitude of continuously having their own ways on top of the suppressive measures they adopt generations after generations. The power of the government and its machinery being in their hands, they have exploited this advantageous position to the hilt. If this is just mere emotional outburst then take a look at tile map of Manipur state. The Naga inhabited area (Land of the Nagas) having 4 districts is nearly 7 (seven) times the size of Imphal valley formerly known as Manipur central district. Yet, out of it they were able to conveniently create for themselves 4 (four) districts namely- Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur districts and most interestingly Jiribam a small strip of land located at the extreme West of the state bordering Cachar of Assam is part of Imphal East district. See what they are capable of? Therefore, Nagas are compelled to take a drastic step in order to safeguard our birthright and hence this blockade.
As for the home visit of Muivah the Gen. Secy of NSCN/GPRN, like many have already aired their views, he does not require permission from anyone, least of all, from the Manipuris. The very act of blocking his entry into Mao area by using all the brute force of the state is nothing but suppression of a peoples' right. Irrespective of whether one agrees to his political ideology or not, the fact remains, he is one of the most important Naga leaders and the Mao people welcomes him into our territory and that goes for all the other tribes. Therefore, the hysteria over Muivah's home visit as a threat to the territorial integrity of Manipur state can only mean a very dangerous and sinister design in the offing. It may very well mean that, the Manipuris have fine tuned their strategy to take over all our land because that is their sole concern. The government of Manipur, the Manipuri civil societies even individuals has only one agenda --' territorial integrity, which means land. Human integrity and moral integrity is non existent in their jargon and hence their tall claim of harmonious and peaceful coexistence between Nagas and Manipuris stands exposed.
If these observations are to be written off as just conjectures then let me ask this - when the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) entered into formal ceasefire with the GOI in 1964 which covered and was in force in all the Naga inhabited areas, there was not a single voice raised on territorial integrity - they have not prepared their strategy and arguments to claim what is ours as theirs then; was it? Let me also clear the created confusion with the name Manipuri for all concerned. The subtle effort to superimpose this name before the word Naga as Manipuri Naga is totally baseless. Just as there are no Assamese Karbi, Assamese Bengali, Assamese Kachari and Assamese Adivasi etc. in Assam. There simply cannot be Manipuri Naga, Manipuri Kuki, Manipuri Nepali and Manipuri Hmar etc. in Manipur. Of course if some community has no objections to the assimilation process, I have no arguments with them. As for us we are who we are, Nagas, nothing more nothing less.
N. Kayina
Dimapur
