One does not always get to say the truths as we are afraid only of the possible consequences it might bring. While we are all concerned with the negative fallout of saying the truth, we are blind to other possibilities it might also achieve in the not too distant future. And as such we are in a perpetual denial mode, thereby causing more harm or the minor ailment turning cancerous in the long run. Sometimes, it is best that all the grievances and hurt feelings are laid bare on the table and try to thrash it out with an open mind.
If we are really intent on going forward towards peace and stability, gone are the days of running from the bitter truth while the time has come to face the truth and realities head on. The imagined Unity in Diversity spirit no longer holds water in our beautiful state. In spite of claims to the contrary, the hill-valley divide is still very much here and inter-community relations are not so good. And it came out full ballast in the violence unleashed on May 3, 2023.
The tipping point was the Manipur High Court’s judgement on Scheduled Tribe status for the Meiteis, the interpretation of which is still being debated whether the HC directed the state government to recommend ST status for the Meiteis or simply send a recommendation, either for ST status or not, as per requirements of the laid down procedure. And nobody took the trouble of explaining the HC judgement or clearing up any ambiguity in it for the benefit of the general public. When the May 3 Tribal Solidarity Rally was announced, violence broke out however in Kuki dominated areas only. It could only mean that the Nagas had no ulterior agenda besides a general objection to conferring ST status to the Meiteis, and hence the peaceful rallies in Naga dominated areas.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh had once talked about the existence of corrupt practices along with sectoral or communal mindset among government officials and leaders of state that have created hindrances in developmental process. He also appealed to leaders and government officials to avoid the mindset of prioritising their own people or community. The majority community had long been at the butt-end of allegations of robbing the benefits meant for the hill people while blindsiding the fact that it was mostly bureaucrats from the hills who were at the helm of state affairs with only a sprinkling from the valley.
While one can still count the number of direct IAS and IPS officers from the majority community, there are plenty from among the hill communities who enjoy the benefits of being from the Scheduled Tribe communities and they have been ruling the roost all this time and even enjoying the double benefit of both entry point and promotion avenue as well. So much heartburn has been caused by these benefits that some sections of the majority community have even come up with a demand for transformation into the ST category.
It was only in recent times that young and bright people from the majority community have begun opting for UPSC examinations and many of them are excelling in it. In the past, the brightest and most brilliant students from the majority community were drawn more to the medical and engineering fields and other areas of scientific excellence.
Now the majority community is slowly picking up in the All India Services, but still the gap is very wide. Even among the ST bureaucrats also, it is more among the Kuki-Chin-Mizo group. For example, the state Police department has become top heavy with IPS officers from the Kuki-Chin-Mizo group with a sprinkling of Nagas in between. A course correction in the bureaucracy so as to bring about a balance in the administrative set-up had become the need of the hour. And then, violence broke out obliterating any space for meaningful debate.
