Twenty-one days have gone by after the historic Kangla declaration when Meitei legislators including MPs from Manipur came together and took a collective pledge administered by Arambai Tenggol, aimed at safeguarding the integrity of Manipur at the sacred Kangla. It was on January 24, 2024 and people have not forgotten that.
All of Imphal stood still for that momentous event and everyone waited with bated breath for the outcome of the meeting of Meitei legislators hosted by Arambai Tenggol which culminated in the Kangla declaration. The meeting was attended by 36 Meitei legislators besides Union Minister of State for External Affairs RK Ranjan and Rajya Sabha MP Maharaj Leishemba Sanajaoba, although the chief minister himself was absent. Yes, he indeed put his signature to the declaration.
The legislators had pledged to address the situation, meaning the situation in Manipur, by urging the central government to act on the six charters of demands put forth by Arambai Tenngol. The charter included the implementation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year, abrogation of the SoO agreement with Kuki militants, deportation of Myanmar refugees to Mizoram, international border fencing, replacement of AR with other neutral central forces, and removal of Kuki from the ST list.
Arambai Tenggol had also set a deadline of 15 days for the government to meet these demands, with the legislators and MPs expressing their commitment to turning these aspirations into reality. In case of failure, they vowed to join the mass movement of the public. As the 15-day deadline approached, the Chief Minister N Biren Singh rushed to New Delhi and met the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Just before the deadline Home Minister Amit Shah had announced on February 6, the Government of India’s decision to undertake border fencing of the entire stretch of 1643 kilometre long of the international border with Myanmar, despite objections from Mizoram and Nagaland. Then on January 8, Amit Shah announced in X, formerly Twitter, that India has decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with Myanmar. While these decisions were protested by both Nagas and the Kuki-Zos, it was hailed as decisive moves by the central government in certain quarters in Manipur.
Ever since the outbreak of violence in the state, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had been pushing the demand for border fencing and scrapping of FMR in view of the unchecked infiltration of illegals from Myanmar and militants. Well, he sees the move as a strategy to counter the ever-increasing Kuki-Zo domination in Churachandpur and Moreh and its consequences.
However, there is a need to lay out the facts and chronology of these decisions before we put to test whether the Kangla declaration had been addressed or not. With regard to border fencing in the Indo-Myanmar boundary, it was an ongoing process started some years back only temporarily halted after objections raised by villagers on the Manipur side and several CSOs on the question of succumbing to encroachment from the Myanmar side. Like they have done in the Indo-Bangladesh border, border fencing on the Indo-Myanmar boundary had long been decided. It is only now that the central government has given a definite time frame on its completion.
With regard to scrapping of FMR, Amit Shah had announced at a passing out parade of the Assam police commandos in Guwahati on January 20 that the Free Movement Regime (FMR) agreement with Myanmar would be reconsidered to stop border residents from moving into each other’s country without any paperwork. If we read these decisions as against the Kangla declaration, there is nothing to rejoice about. There is still no decision on the implementation of the NRC with 1951 as the base year, abrogation of the SoO agreement with Kuki militants, deportation of Myanmar refugees to Mizoram, replacement of AR with other neutral central forces, and removal of Kuki from the ST list.
