Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh speaks in the state assembly
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has indicated the state government will work with all communities and civil society organisations to discuss redrawing district boundaries based on "administrative convenience" and not on "ethnic lines".
Mr Singh in the state assembly on Monday blamed past governments for leaving behind a mess by slicing up districts to create new ones for "political convenience", and not "administrative convenience".
"Everyone keeps saying what's happened has happened. I say we should discuss what's happened and correct mistakes so that the future generations don't suffer. The districts created in the name of administrative convenience, for example, Sadar Hills and Kangpokpi, it reaches all the way to Bishnupur. If a fire or some incident happens, how are the fire officers or the police going to reach Bishnupur from Kangpokpi?" Mr Singh said in the house. "The districts were created not for administrative convenience, but for political convenience."
He called it "most unfortunate" that there's an assumption in Manipur that districts have been created based on ethnic lines, "as if one district has been created for a particular community and given to them, forgetting what India is all about, what Manipur is all about."
The Kuki-dominant Kangpokpi district headquarters lies 45 km to the north of the state capital Imphal. Kangpokpi district was created in 2016. The district's long, inverted U-shaped area surrounds Imphal valley from the north, east and west, leaving the south open till it reaches Bishnupur district in the valley, 75 km away.
In the hills on the flank of Bishnupur, Kangpokpi also joins with another Kuki-dominated district, Churachandpur, which lies south of Bishnupur.
The Manipur Chief Minister's comment that "political convenience" led to drawing district boundaries on "ethnic lines" was seen as one example referring to the expansion of Kangpokpi district - and the troubles the state is facing today, Manipur BJP sources said.
"This (ethnic division) fault has existed for a long time, and it will not be easy to correct it today. Our inability to proudly say we, together, are the people of Manipur - Manipuri Tangkhul, Manipuri Meitei, Manipuri Pangal, Manipuri Thadou or Manipuri Paite - is a serious, chronic disease. It will take time to cure this, but cure we must," Mr Singh said in the assembly.
"To rework district boundaries based on administrative convenience and not on ethnic lines would be a good step... It seems some have started thinking they are kings of their districts. Despite living together for generations, suddenly there are complaints about taking 'tax', about being checked or stopped while entering a district... these are not compatible with the democratic set-up of the country... So we need reorganisation of the districts, for which we should sit together and discuss," the Chief Minister, who belongs to the ruling BJP, said in the assembly.
Mr Singh's proposal, however, has been criticised by some of the 10 MLAs from the Kuki tribes and also the Opposition Congress as a way to divert attention from more immediate issues linked to the ethnic violence between the Meitei community and the Kuki tribes. The 10 Kuki MLAs are not attending the assembly session.
Manipur Congress unit leader Lamtinthang Haokip in a post on X reminded the Chief Minister that he was a part of the same government when the districts were created.
"... When will you stop hatching and spreading hatred and lies, and playing divisive politics between different communities in the state? Are you not satisfied yet with your present sponsored ethnic violence in Manipur..." Mr Haokip said in the post.
Sources in the Manipur BJP said the Chief Minister's move will likely get huge support across communities, as redrawing district boundaries on administrative lines will ensure people focus on governance, rather than ethnocentric politics.
"Mr Haokip's attempt to tarnish the Chief Minister has failed. Biren Singh may have been with the Congress before, but it doesn't mean he created the new districts, which the top Congress bosses did. It's laughable," a Manipur BJP leader told NDTV, requesting anonymity.
The clashes between the valley-dominant Meitei community and nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis - a term given by the British in colonial times - who are dominant in some hill areas of Manipur, has killed over 220 people and internally displaced nearly 50,000.
The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the nearly two dozen tribes that share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.