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North East: PM’s visit : An assessment

	November 29, 2004

The dust having settled, it is time to take a patient look at the much hyped historic visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to this troubled region which has been facing the onslaught of subversive activities by extremists on one pretext or the other since Independence.

Such visits, in fact, are not uncommon with Central leaders who in their effort to inculcate the feeling of oneness among the regional masses, utilise them to assure people that they are part and parcel of the mainstream and New Delhi is always ready to respect their legitimate aspirations. They even go to the extent of announcing hefty economic packages the fruits of which rarely reach the grassroots as the political sickle always reaps the harvest leaving the common man high and dry.

But the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears to be an exception. He refrained from announcing any economic package, but earnestly assured the north-eastern people, particularly those of Manipur. that he is with them and would make all efforts to meet their aspirations.

The Prime Minister, according to observers, went through a “whirligig of a trip: three days in Manipur and Assam and returning without announcing a windfall of funds for the states but specific steps and approaches which could change the region.” There were specific projects such as those aimed at better connectivity through the railways and upgrading of roads. But the handing over the Kangla Fort to the state government, was an act of political statesmanship and emotional connectivity.

The Kangla, with a history that goes back to 33 AD, resonates with historic and spiritual significance for the Meiteis, the Vaishnavite majority population of Manipur which lives in the Imphal Valley.

Manmohan Singh boldy admitted the atrocities which are sometimes committed by security forces in “their bid to restore order” when he said : “We must remember that the stunning and shaming episode of the elderly women stripping in anger against the custodial death of Manorama Devi and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) took place outside here (Kangla fort).

Then at Guwahati Dr Singh’s message was clear, simple and without punches: the AFSPA would be reviewed by the committee that had been just announced, headed by Justice (Retd.) Jeevan Reddy including its replacement by a more humane law; he said the committee would be urged to finish its work within the six months given to it and urged Manipuri agitating groups not to push deadlines. “Trust me”, was his message.



Open offer of talks to all shades of militancy

Whether it was the ULFA’s call for talks through litterateur Indira Goswami or the views of other militant groups, Dr Singh said there was no problem however intractable that couldn’t be solved through dialogue. Talks should be unconditional and he asserted that power flows not from the barrel of a gun but from the ballot-box, a neat change of Chairman Mao Ze-dong’s famous dictum.

“Let us await developments: negotiations are not conducted through the media or by shouting at each other’s positions from the rooftops. There are quiet responses to stated positions followed by intense preparations and initial contacts. After that, who knows ?

The overwhelming response to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s maiden visit to Manipur clearly unravelled two important aspects of collective psyche: one, the people’s genuine longing for peace and development in the state, and two, their faith in his sincerity and commitment.

Considering the past experiences of about two decades, where people, out of fear succumbed to the dictates of insurgent organisations, it was a new trend. A turnout of 50,000-odd spectators at the Kangla Fort to witness the handing over ceremony and also listen to Dr Singh, amidst the bandh (work stoppage) call by an insurgent group, was an indication of the emergence of the voice of the voiceless.

Contrary to expectations in some quarters, the Prime Minister’s statement that he had not come to buy the loyalty of the people of Manipur in exchange for some economic packages, and that the state requires long term policies and programmes shows a fine understanding of the region. Behind this sensible statement lies the stark reality of overdraft, where the state depends on the Central Government’s grants for its day-to-day survival. All that the state’s politicians, bureaucrats, contractors and NGOs dream of are packages of unaccounted grants that could be manipulatively exhausted. The corrupt nexus in the state government and its cobwebs seems to have been understood by the PMO.

A larger development policy has been given priority over financial packages. Some immediate steps like upgrading Manipur University to the status of a Central university, and starting railway communication between Jiribam town and Toupul in Tamenglong district are being seen as useful steps towards future academic excellence and wider trade transactions, respectively. This has received wide applause, except for among the insurgents and a section of the Apunba Lup.

However, according to some observers, none of these moves addressed the core issue which resulted in the Prime Minister visiting the state. The AFSPA found a secondary place in the entire visit. After Dr Singh’s departure, the message from him for the people isn’t very clear. People are desperate to have peace in the state and they also know of Dr Singh as a nice man. But this cannot be a good enough reason to feel satisfied with the visit. What is of interest is the seeming mellowing of his position on the AFSPA.

Members of the Apunba Lup in their meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi were assured of the replacement AFSPA with a humane law. This indicates that the present Act is viewed as inhuman and draconian. The shift now has been to the possibility of replacing the Act and appointing a review committee. Had Dr Singh categorically proposed replacing the Act with an alternate Act, things would have been much clearer. Induction of only one member from the North-east in the Review Committee creates apprehension that this lone voice could be subdued.

The differences in the stand between the PMO and the Home Ministry on the issue of the AFSPA’s repeal are well known. The best step, the observers feel, would be to give a clear direction to the Home Ministry regarding the need for seriousness and commitment to press ahead with the political dialogue. Involvement of the military should be minimised; the Centre must stop looking at the North-east from a military point of view.

Talks with the Lup should further open ways for a dialogue with insurgent groups. But a clear distinction should be maintained between the Lup, as representing civil society, and the insurgents, who are battling the Indian state with arms. The Centre should heed the voices of people who have grown distinctly and separately from the insurgent movement, lest these are silenced by the strong forces of insurgent politics. That would be a failure of Indian democracy and its values.



Chief Minister’s disappointment

Left red-faced by Manmohan Singh’s refusal to announce an economic package, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh tried to erase the disappointment by unveiling projects worth Rs 2,777.86 crore under the Prime Minister’s initiative.

He claimed that New Delhi had agreed to sanction the amount, contradicting what the Prime Minister told the media at the end of his visit to the state. Almost immediately after Singh left Imphal for Guwahati, the Chief Minister fleshed out the so-called package, including Rs 727 crore for the Jiribam-Tupul railway line, Rs 317 crore for the capital complex project and Rs 659 crore for the Loktak downstream project.

A source said several of the projects listed in the government release were old ones. For instance, New Delhi approved the Loktak downstream project several years ago. The railway and capital complex projects, too, were in the pipeline for some years now. Official sources countered the argument by saying that the Prime Minister may not have announced a package in monetary terms, but he did sanction several new projects.



Manipur set for protest rerun

A disgruntled Apunba Lup on November 22 began marshalling its resources for another phase of agitation against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which it wants repealed immediately.

The conglomerate of organisations spearheading the agitation in Manipur has already started a campaign to mobilise opinion on a fresh phase of the agitation.

An Apunba Lup delegation told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his stay in Imphal that a committee to review the Armed Forces Act was not what it wanted. It said the deadline of December 10 for the repeal of the legislation would not be extended.

The organisation has convened a two-day convention, beginning December 8, to discuss its course of action. The opinion-mobilisation drive will culminate in a mass rally on December 10. Even as the Prime Ministers appealed to them not to set any deadline for review of the AFPSA, the Apunba Lup refused to budge from its position. The Political Parties’ Forum of Manipur criticised the Prime Minister for not acceding to the Apunba Lup’s demand.



Rebel group looks to UN for support

One of Manipur’s banned militant groups, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), has sought support from the international community and offered to lay down arms if the United Nations steps in to end the armed conflict in this north-eastern state.

Joining the debate on repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, the UNLF said it was convinced that atrocities by central forces would continue, irrespective of whether the legislation was retained or done away with. As long as Indian colonial rule is not rooted out, Indian colonial repression will continue. It described the Prime Minister’s assurance to replace the Armed Forces Act with a more humane legislation as ridiculous.

The UNLF targeted Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, too, for agreeing to the formation of a unified command structure for counter-insurgency operations. It said the unified command was not formed earlier because Ibobi Singh’s predecessors had opposed it. The UNLF claimed it had successfully resisted advances by the Army in Chandel and Churachandpur districts. The Manipur People’s Army, a wing of the UNLF, killed 20 Army personnel and injured 35 during the operation, it said.



Opening the frontiers of peace

Another highlight of the Prime Minister’s visit to the North-east was the flagging off of an Indo-ASEAN car rally which represents more than a symbolic opening of roads and opportunities from and to the North-east and its connectivity to its neighbours and South-east Asia.

Observers consider it as a major step towards “Look East Policy of India” through the North-east as it makes sound commonsense and logically economic sense. We have more than 8,800 km of borders with Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China.” Barely one per cent of this is the scale of our physical connection with the rest of India: that’s more symbolic of the narrow Chicken’s Neck through which flow roads, railway lines, gas and oil pipelines. Nepal is close at hand.

While ASEAN was represented by its articulate Secretary-General who called for Guwahati to become the natural hub for South-east and South Asia, what needs to be understood is that state governments and the Centre, as well as the people of the region through their representatives and NGOs and media, must push hard for infrastructure, especially roads, to improve, standardise customs clearances (currently they are a nightmare), banish the colonial Restricted Areas Permit (for foreign nationals) and Inner Line Permit (for Indians from other parts of the country). The rally touched a chord in the hearts of many people; there were huge crowds everywhere.



Appeal to neighbouring countries

During his visit to Manipur and Assam, the Prime Minister did not miss the opportunity to convey India’s concern to the neighbouring countries bordering the north-eastern states, especially Bangladesh and Myanmar. He said his government was hopeful of assistance and cooperation from these countries to check cross-border terror and infiltration.

Speaking at Guwahati airport, Dr Singh said: Myanmar has assured that it will not allow Indian insurgents to thrive and operate from its soil. However, we haven’t succeeded in eliciting an assurance from Bangladesh, but we haven’t given up hope.



Fresh Indo-Bangla survey

A fresh survey for demarcating the international boundary between India and Bangladesh in Meghalaya would be launched on December 8.

The study would be carried out by the Surveys of India and Bangladesh.

Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector-General for Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland Frontier, S.C. Srivastava, disclosed this to mediapersons. He said the survey was necessitated as boundary pillars were washed away by flash floods recently. The survey is likely to be completed by next March, he said.

The senior BSF official conceded that at present there are no demarcating structures and the international border has become porous to such an extent that Bangladeshi nationals have been sailing across the Umngot river to smuggle boulders from Meghalaya’s Dawki area.

The topic was raised by the BSF at a recent flag meeting with the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), he said.

The illegal ferrying of boulders from the Umngot area has become a major bone of contention between the BSF and the BDR.

BSF Director-General Ajai Raj Sharma said in an interaction with mediapersons that the BSF would resort to firing if attempts were made by Bangladeshi intruders to smuggle anything out of Indian territory.

From January to October 4 this year, the BSF apprehended 366 illegal Bangladeshi entrants and also killed four smugglers on the Shillong frontier.



Joint border patrolling

The proposal for joint border patrolling by the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has become enmeshed in another blame game.

BSF director-general Ajai Raj Sharma, who was on a two-day visit to Shillong last week accused the Bangladesh Rifles of not showing interest in the proposal to jointly secure the porous border between the two countries.

“The BDR had readily agreed when the idea was floated, but has yet to approve it, Sharma said, indicating that he was sceptical about the fate of the proposal. They (Bangladesh) would gain more from it, not we”, Sharma said.

The BSF and the BDR have been waging a war of words for several years now with one accusing the other of abetting smuggling and infiltration from across the border.

Bangladesh has long denied the presence of north-east militant groups in its territory despite diplomatic pressure from New Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in Imphal on Sunday that India could choose its friends, not neighbours. He said New Delhi had, therefore, adopted a pragmatic approach to the task of convincing its eastern neighbours Bangladesh and Myanmar not to allow anti-India activities from their territories.

Making a case for remodelling the country’s border management strategy, the BSF Director-General said the focus should be on three aspects fencing, installation of thermal imagers and deployment of adequate number of troops along the border.