Sanjha Morcha

The Centre’s intriguing silence on burning issue

The Centre's intriguing silence on burning issue

QUITE simply, Manipur defies a resolution to the civil war that has wrecked the state like nothing experienced in the volatile North-East in the recent past. Manipur stands socially and politically polarised with even the ‘buffer zones’, created for administrative expediency between the ‘enemy zones’ dividing the Valley from the hills, perpetually under attack. The state is under siege.

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Yet, from this mayhem arose voices that stood above the sectarian divide and expressed their anguish on behalf of a whole civil society, like that of retired Lt-General Nishikanta Singh, who on June 15, tweeted, “I’m just an ordinary Indian from Manipur living a retired life. The state is now ‘stateless’. Life and property can be destroyed anytime by anyone just like in Libya, Lebanon, Nigeria, Syria, etc…. Is anyone listening?” Former Army Chief

VP Malik, perceptibly distressed, responded in another tweet, marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He said, “An extraordinary call from a retired Lt Gen from Manipur. Manipur needs urgent attention at highest level.”

From nine-year-old Tia beseeching the PM to put out a “small message or a tweet” to a junior External Affairs Minister at the Centre, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, wondering, “I don’t know what’s the reason, I am only seeking peace,” the cry for Delhi’s intervention to assuage the anguish and hurt was loud. Singh’s house in Imphal was set on fire by a mob but fortunately, he was not inside. The attack displayed the impunity with which a crowd went for a BJP MP and minister’s home. It was proof that law and order had collapsed since early May, when the largely Vaishnav Hindu Meiteis, who do not belong to a tribe and inhabit the Imphal valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribes from the hills were engaged in a pitched battle. Manipur has a BJP government with N Biren Singh, a Meitei, as the Chief Minister.

It is important to emphasise the ethnicity of the players because that lies at the heart of the conflict. The Meiteis comprise the largest population grouping at 53 per cent, followed by the Tangkhul Naga tribe living to the north of Imphal at 24 per cent and the Kuki-Zo tribes of the hills at 16 per cent. The Meitei Hindus and the Christian Tangkhul Nagas and Kuki-Zo tribes are almost equal in number, at 41.39 per cent and 41.29 per cent, respectively, as per the 2011 Census. In earlier ethnic clashes, religion never played a part, but this time, the Hindu-Christian fault-line constituted another angle of a battle that concerned land, economic alienation and political representation.Advertisement

To recapitulate, the spark was lit on May 3 by a solidarity march organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur in the hills to protest the direction given to the state government by the high court to submit a recommendation to the Centre on the inclusion of the Meiteis in the ST list. It was a longstanding demand of the community, which was aggrieved by the existing law allowing tribes to buy land in the plains but denying the Meiteis this right in the hills. The march was a red rag for the Meiteis, who marked out the homes and properties of the Kuki-Zo tribes in the plains, burnt them down and assaulted and killed the outnumbered tribals.

Numbers apart, the representation in the legislature is uneven. Out of 60 seats, only 19 are reserved for the tribes, who justifiably feel left out of the power and decision-making structures. The political dominance of the Meiteis gave a fillip to the community in the ongoing strife against the tribes, who lack the same heft. Indeed, CM Singh pandered to his electoral constituency to not only secure his position within the state BJP against factional challenges but also implemented measures such as extending the Forest Act to declare significant areas in the hills as reserved/protected forest and wildlife sanctuary to deny the tribes the use of their natural habitats.

Going by the BJP’s playbook, the Kukis, who share ethnic roots with the Mizos of Mizoram and Chins of Myanmar, were disparaged as ‘foreigners’, ‘illegal immigrants’ and ‘encroachers’, engaged in drug peddling (it’s true that many tribes are involved in poppy cultivation). The Kuki militant groups were blamed for the violence and equated with the Kuki population at large. Undeniably, the conflict was not as one-sided as portrayed by sections because the Meitei settlers in the hills were attacked by the tribes, but the casualties were fewer.Advertisement

Does a state government exist? Yes, but only to foster the BJP’s ‘double-engine sarkar’ slogan that is increasingly looked askance and was rejected by the voters of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. But CM Singh continues because the Centre does not want to disturb the ‘double-engine’ equation, although it has stopped chugging and exists only to help the mobs, as the huge haul of weapons ransacked and handed over to local militia and mobs from the state armouries demonstrated. Outside the residence of Imphal East BJP legislator Susindro Meitei hung a poster urging the destructors to deposit their snatched weapons in a drop-box, no questions asked! That was the degree to which the state patronised one section of the attackers.

The Centre’s intriguing silence prompted the belief that either it did not want to intervene or was indifferent to the goings-on. Barring a three-day visit by Shah after the Karnataka electioneering concluded, no Central minister has stepped inside Manipur. The Centre did not initiate steps towards a broader political engagement with the Opposition. Gone was the convention to meet all-party delegations and convene cross-party gatherings. A cynic in the BJP, when asked to explain the Centre’s reticence in contrast to the prompt responses to the Balasore train tragedy or cyclone Biparjoy, replied, “Manipur brings in two Lok Sabha seats, Odisha 21 and Gujarat 26.” 


China’s petty tactics

Another Pak terrorist’s listing in UN blocked

China's petty tactics

STICKING to the regular pattern, China on Tuesday blocked yet another joint proposal by the US and India at the United Nations to designate a Pakistani radical as global terrorist. Sajid Mir — who is wanted by India for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and carries a US bounty of $5 million — has become the fifth Pakistan-based terror accused to have been prevented by China from being blacklisted as a global terrorist in the UN Security Council’s 1267 list of terror entities in the past few months. Interestingly, a Pakistan court jailed Mir, an LeT leader, in June last year for over 15 years in a terror-financing case as the country made efforts to exit the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).Advertisement

India has, quite rightly, reacted sharply to the development precipitated by China. As the facilitation of such hindrances sends out the message that extremists can get away with impunity, India’s question on the efficacy of the ‘architecture of global counter-terrorism’ merits an answer. If the big talk of cooperation and pacts made to end terrorism at various international fora by the world polity are to meet hurdles at the high table, a revisit to the process is called for. India’s efforts to bring to book Mir suffer a setback with China’s blockage: it has been denied the opportunity to subject Mir to consequences, including a stringent trial with a freezing of assets, ban on travel and arms embargo, which the tag of a global terrorist entails.

India is already reeling under these tactics, which China deployed recently too to put on hold Indo-US proposals for the terror listing of dreaded Pakistani terrorists Shahid Mahmood, Abdul Rehman Makki and Abdul Rauf Azhar. Putting geopolitical interests over principles, Beijing has again come to the aid of Islamabad, and this will only aggravate the India-China hostilities.


Manipur deadlock

All-party meeting late in the day, but essential

Manipur deadlock

MANIPUR has been convulsed by ethnic clashes since May 3 and 50 days on, there are no signs of cessation of violence. The all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 24 is a significant move to find ways to break the deadlock. As it reaches out across the political spectrum, the Centre has a lot of answering to do on what took it so long to initiate the process. The Prime Minister’s silence on the issue has been repeatedly questioned by the Opposition. His likely absence at the meeting has drawn criticism. BJP’s own legislators from Manipur have highlighted the loss of public faith in the state government. There have been demands for a more concerted intervention, particularly after Shah’s four-day visit and parleys with both Meitei and Kuki leaders failed to calm tempers.Advertisement

The government’s 51-member peace committee tasked with talking to community leaders and redressing grievances has proved to be a non-starter. Bridging the divide and distrust needs fresh and urgent bipartisan efforts. The Congress’ reaction, that the all-party initiative is too little and too late, is on the expected lines. There is merit in its observation that efforts to bring the warring factions to the discussion table would be taken more seriously if the talks take place in Manipur. Be that as it may, the Opposition parties would do well to be active participants and use the opportunity to put forward informed inputs on the way forward.

The Centre would be aware that its presence and actions are yet to become effective in the troubled state. Any new step that is aimed at restoring peace needs to be supported. The onus is on the Central government to not reduce the all-party meeting to a symbolic exercise that yields little. Manipur is relying on concrete outcomes.


Army Chief honours sepoy who saved woman from drowning in Patiala

Army Chief honours sepoy who saved woman from drowning in Patiala

New Delhi, June 21

Sepoy Navaneetha Krishnan D, who saved a young woman from drowning in the Bhakra canal near Patiala, was today awarded the Army Chief’s Commendation Certificate.Advertisement

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Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande today invited the sepoy to his office in South Block. He pinned the medal on the chest of the 23-year-old sepoy enrolled with Army Medical Corps. Hailing from Madurai, he is posted at a field hospital near Patiala. The sepoy, said, “I don’t even know the name of the woman I saved. I just jumped into the canal, it was instinctive.”

On June 16, the sepoy jumped into the fast-flowing canal and pulled the woman to safety. Further, he performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, saving the woman’s life.


5lakh people hit, one dead as flood situation in Assam worsens

5 lakh people hit, one dead as flood situation in Assam worsens

Guwahati, June 22

At present, 1,366 villages are under water and 14,091.90 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated drastically on Thursday with one person losing his life and nearly five lakh people reeling under the deluge across 12 districts, an official bulletin said.

According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), one person died due to flooding in Tamulpur of Udalguri district.

This is the first official record of death on account of flood this year, an ASDMA official said.

The report said over 4,95,700 people are hit due to the floods in Baksa, Barpeta, Chirang, Darrang, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts.

Barpeta is the worst hit with over 3,25,600 people suffering, followed by Nalbari with more than 77,700 people and Lakhimpur with around 25,700 people suffering, it added.

Till Wednesday, nearly 1.2 lakh people were suffering from floods across 10 districts of the state.

The administration has been operating 83 relief camps in seven districts, where 14,035 persons have taken shelter, and running 79 relief distribution centres in eight districts.

Paramilitary forces, NDRF, SDRF, Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES), civil administrations, NGOs and locals have rescued 561 persons from different places.

The administration has distributed 1,265 quintals of rice, dal, salt and 5,269.80 litres of mustard oil among the flood victims during the last 24 hours.

At present, 1,366 villages are under water and 14,091.90 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, the ASDMA said.

Massive erosions have been witnessed in Sonitpur, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dhubri, Lakhimpur, Morigaon, Nalbari, South Salmara and Udalguri, it said.

Places in Bongaigaon and Dima Hasao have reported incidents of landslides due to heavy rainfall.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Barpeta, Sonitpur, Darrang, Nalbari, Baksa, Chirang, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Udalguri, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji and Dibrugarh.

Urban areas were inundated at many places across Barpeta, Darrang, Jorhat, Kamrup Metropolitan, and Kokrajhar districts.

Brahmaputra at Dhubri and Neamatighat, along with its tributaries Beki at Road Bridge, Manas at NH Road Crossing, Pagladiya at NT Road Crossing and Puthimari are flowing above the danger mark, the ASDMA report said.

On account of widespread flooding, more than 3,46,600 domestic animals are affected across the state.


Fighter jet engines to be produced in India; GE Aerospace inks pact with HAL

Fighter jet engines to be produced in India; GE Aerospace inks pact with HAL

Washington, June 22

In a landmark announcement, GE Aerospace on Thursday said it has inked a pact with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II — Tejas.

The announcement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden.

 “The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this,” the US firm said in a statement here.

It described the Memorandum of Understanding with HAL as a “key element” in strengthening defence cooperation between India and the US.

 “This is a historic agreement made possible by our longstanding partnership with India and HAL,” said H Lawrence Culp Jr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace.

The agreement will advance GE Aerospace’s earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the LCA-Mk-II programme.

“It puts the company in a strong position to create a family of products in India, including the F404 engine that currently powers the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk1A aircraft and GE Aerospace’s selection for the prototype development, testing and certification of the AMCA programme with our F414-INS6 engine,” the statement said.

The pact is significant as India has been sourcing its military jets from Russia and European consortia.

Recently, the IAF bought 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault, a French manufacturer of combat aircraft.

In addition, GE will continue to collaborate with the Indian government on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Mk2 engine programme.

“We are proud to play a role in advancing Biden and Modi’s vision of closer coordination between the two nations. Our F414 engines are unmatched and will offer important economic and national security benefits for both countries as we help our customers produce the highest quality engines to meet the needs of their military fleet,” the US firm said.

Currently, HAL uses GE 404 engines for the 83 light combat aircraft it is manufacturing for the IAF.

GE Aerospace has operated in India for more than four decades with wide engagement in the industry including engines, avionics, services, engineering, manufacturing, and local sourcing.

GE Aerospace’s F404 and F414 have been part of the development and production of LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk2 programmes.

In total, 75 F404 engines have been delivered and another 99 are on order for LCA Mk1A.

Eight F414 engines have been delivered as part of an ongoing development programme for LCA Mk2, the US firm said.