Amid the buzz of the widening rift in the BJP Manipur unit, one of the political allies of Manipur’s BJP, the Kuki People’s Alliance made a veiled attack on the Biren Singh-led BJP Government on various issues.

The Kuki People’s Alliance or the KPA also accused the Manipur Government of persecuting the tribal people in the state.

The KPA in its official meeting held yesterday discussed the issue of the demolition of over a half-century-old church on the Tribal Colony land at Checkon in the heart of the state capital Imphal, forests vis-a-vis the tribal communities living in the hills, environment, and the recent impasse over tribal reservation issue at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS).

Tribal Colony

In connection with the demolition of the church on the Tribal Colony land at Checkon, Imphal, the KPA stated that in Manipur, Christianity is nearly all exclusive to the tribals in the hills but despite constituting almost 50% of the population of Manipur, tribals have only 33% political representation.

It also stated that the recent demolition, in the wee hours of 11 April 2023 of the over half a century old church was a corollary to the demolition of the tribal colony itself.

Ill-conceived and motivated by a majoritarian exclusivism, both the actions run counter to principles enunciated in the constitution itself, the principles of accommodation towards, reservation for, and efforts towards upliftment of the weaker sections of society, it added.

The colony was envisaged in the late 50s to accommodate the lowest of the lowest rungs of government employees, even among the ST category. That the quarters consisted mainly of Type-1 accommodation is self-explanatory and illustrates the intent and magnanimity of the Manipur Government then. It was meant to mitigate the problems of accommodation faced by the hill people who took up employment with the government at the lowest of salaries and did not have their own residences in Imphal.

Manipur Mahajara gifted land for Tribal Colony

The portion of the land was demarcated/ gifted from the Maharaja’s estate for the purpose of “quarters for the Lowest rung of the Scheduled Tribe Government Employees”. The gesture was in tune with the very spirit of the Constitution, the efforts towards welfare and upliftment of the weakest of the weak.

The stone inscription at the site of the Tribal Colony clearly stated, “This land is given by the Maharaja of Manipur for construction of Government quarters for the Scheduled Tribe Government employees.”

One point that lent credence to the above inference is that even after the merger, the Maharaja still had immense personal properties including vast landed estates. The spread of wetlands outside the palace gates, also known as Konung Mamang, was royal property. It covers the land on which the tribal colony stood. It is therefore incumbent upon the “Imphal Government” as is it also the demand of rule of law as against the rule of Govt. tyranny, that it produces its proof of ownership.

“What we see with the present Government is nothing but elitism, arrogance, the chauvinism of a particular community, majoritarian dominance, and to whom any benefit to Scheduled Tribe communities in the form of allocated quarters or places of Christian Worship is an eyesore”, the KPA stated.

It further stated that the Tribal Colony has been demolished and in its place is being constructed a colony for the elite of the government employees, leaving in the lurch the lowest paid employees who will now have to fend for themselves while adding that there is no longer any Type I or Type II quarters, the very category for whom the land was allocated from the Maharaja’s estate.

“Evidently, It was never a Government land”, it asserted.

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The KPA stated that a portion of the same land on which a Christian church was built is now claimed, after 60 years, as being Government land and demolished overnight. It could have easily been regularized. Sixty years is enough to invoke the rule of tacit acquiescence; of adverse possession; or of naturalization of an event. Even in nature, it is an accepted environmental norm that 60 years is what it takes for nature to adapt itself to change, it added.

“The instant ruthlessness of the Imphal Government upon a house of worship will remain an indelible scar. It does not bode well for the integrity of Manipur and for the Imphal Government”, it further stated.

It also alleged that the Manipur Government is sectarian in religious and social outlook, anti-tribal, anti-poor, and anti-hills is well demonstrated.

It also stated that the present proposed quarters when it comes up will be a standing manifestation of the Imphal government’s apathy towards the poor and deprived sections.

Forest issues

On forest issues, the KPA stated that another area of discord is the present government activity with regard to forests vis-a-vis the tribal communities living in the hills.

The Forest-related statutes (The Forest Act of India 1927 and its consequent Orders and notifications) presuppose and acknowledge the existence of individuals and communities already living on the land and that their rights were not to be abridged. It, therefore, makes it incumbent on the part of the government to demarcate the settlements and their area of socio-economic activity for the purpose of excluding them from the proposed Reserved Forests/Protected Forests (RF/PF).

Therefore, it is only after the demarcation of the existing settlements that the existence of the RF/PF ipso facto become a reality. It goes without saying that without demarcation and exclusion of the settlements, the RF/PF themselves will resultantly be without demarcation and thereby rendered non-existent.

The onus is on the government department to verify the existence of the forest residents. The onus is not on the residents to prove their existence. It is therefore a grave irony that the villagers are made to produce pattas and jamabandis, etc. and even when in some instances they do possess such documents, such documents are ordered for annulment and cancellation thereby rendering old established communities as encroachers on government land, it added.

“It is clearly a case where the law has been turned on its head to suit the designs of a Government that has become alien to its people,” it further added.

Environmental issue

In connection with the environmental issue, the KPA stated that it [KPA] is on all fours with the drive for the conservation and protection of forests and wildlife.

KPA is steadfast on the principle that Poppy cultivation and drug trade are not only illegal but a scourge on the environment, and a threat to the well-being of society. It must be eradicated and there should be no question about it, it added.

“But it is a sad day when the issue is politicized and used to criminalize a particular community”, it asserted.

Reservation for tribals

Over the recent reservation issue, the KPA opined that the brazen flouting of constitutionally mandated quota reservations in government jobs for tribals is another issue that seems to have the tacit approval if not the direct complicity of the Imphal Government for a population that has a 50% Tribal component, the reservation quota for STs is pegged at 30-35 % and statistics show only a 20% employment ratio for tribals in government jobs.

In fact, there is a converse job reservation of 65-70% for the Meiteis because even the meritorious tribal candidates (those in the merit list) are counted in the reserved category, it added.

It also maintained that over and above these manipulations, reservation quotas are blatantly ignored as in the recent RIMS case and against which All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has taken up cudgels and agitations.

KPA then shared the view and standpoint of ATSUM on the issue as being well justified and one that must be rectified.

Kuki People’s Alliance

The Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) is a newly formed Indian state-level political party in Manipur recognized by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

It won two seats from 46-Saikul Assembly Constituency and 60-Singhat Assembly Constituency in the 2022 Manipur Legislative Assembly election and pledged support to the BJP in Manipur with its two lawmakers, Kimneo Haokip Hangshing, the youngest legislator in Manipur and Chinlunthang from Singhat AC and become an ally of BJP in its Government.

The Kuki People’s Alliance was formed with the objective of creating a platform for the people to express and promote national ideology, protect the Kuki national identity and preserve its national heritage. It is also committed to striving for the welfare of the hill people, for the integrity of the people and their lands, their sustainable development, strengthening fraternity, and for peaceful and harmonious existence.