All party meet on Manipur: Experts see no immediate solution, say 'fault lines not just along ethnic boundaries'

With the situation continuing to remain volatile in Manipur, experts spoke to ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy about the June 24 all-party meeting on the issue and whether they have any hopes from it.

New Delhi: Even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah has called for an all-party meeting on June 24 over the Manipur situation, experts are sceptical over any immediate outcome to end the crisis in the northeastern state. Speaking to ETV Bharat, writer and academician Pradip Phanjoubam said that the outcome is dependent on the proposals in the meeting.

"But I don't think there can be an immediate solution. However, the participants in the meeting should come with good plans," said Phanjoubam. He said that the present crisis reveals the complex matrix of relationships between the states' many communities, particularly between its three major ethnic groups -- the Nagas, Kukis and Meiteis.

"What is clear is the fault lines are not just along ethnic boundaries. There is also a hill-valley divide which corresponds roughly with the tribal-non-tribal divide, in which Nagas and Kukis are on one side and the Meiteis on the other," said Phanjoubam. He said that the hills form 90 per cent of the state's land mass and are deemed exclusive for those recognised as Scheduled Tribe (ST).

"The 10 per cent valley is where the non-tribal Meiteis are confined. This area is open to settlement by any Indian including hill tribes. And now a section of Meiteis are demanding ST saying this would level out perceived discrepancies," he said. Renowned writer and former BBC journalist, Subir Bhaumik said that the present "blunder was done by the government in Delhi and Manipur".

"Both governments failed to anticipate and resolve the crisis once it erupted. And that is why we have this situation now," said Bhaumik. Referring to the June 24 meeting, he said that the outcome depends on what the meeting tries to achieve. "I would imagine kick-starting a multi-ethnic dialogue by creating a multi-party platform which is the need of the hour," Bhaumik said and added, "The June 24 meeting should come up with strategies on how to do it."

He said that the long unsettled inter-community conflict, exacerbated by the lack of political will to iron out the differences, both at the state and central levels led to the present conflict. The opposition parties on the other hand termed the meeting as a "mere eyewash" of the central government.

"There is a BJP Government in Manipur. How come, even the Centre was not able to control the situation," said former MP and central committee member of CPM Hannan Mollah. The all-party meeting has been called when Prime Minister is not present, he said. "All the political parties even the sitting MLAs from BJP have been trying to meet the PM. And, how can you expect an outcome from such a meeting in the absence of PM," said Mollah.