OUR CONTEMPORARY SITUATION, ARE WE IN DILEMMA?
~ Sangluai Ngaihte

Manipur, The Jewel of India (Sanaleibaak) or Kangleipak was once a princely state since time immemorial. However the British colonial intrusion led Manipur a part of colonial state since 1891. During that course the Hill people of Manipur was never under the sovereign of Manipur Maharaja. When the British annexed Manipur, they proceeded further and acquired the Hill Lands through goodwill missions by sending their missionaries. Alas! The Awakening among the tribes of the Hills began ever since then. In 1949, Maharaja Budhachandra was summoned to Shillong, capital of the Indian province of Meghalaya where he signed a Treaty of Accession merging the kingdom into India. Thereafter the legislative assembly was dissolved and Manipur became part of the Republic of India in October, 1949. In fact the Hill Region of Manipur was never a part of the MMA (Manipur Merger Agreement Act)-1949, however it was a puzzle how the Hill regions which were governed independently under the Chiefs came under the state of Manipur. The hill people however, were aware of their default autonomous rights, due to which, the fight for autonomous power or separate administration arose since the 1980s. But the government wisely mitigated their demands time after time. And also since the Hill region of Manipur was never a part of the Manipur kingdom, in protection of the Tribal Identity and Cultural Rights, the hill people were given special provisions by setting up the Hill Area Committee (HAC) Act 1971 and further special status were given to the Tribals based on the Indian Constitution Art No. 317C, but was and up till now never exercised to its full extent.

Since then, the people of the Hills were betrayed by their representatives, as they were consumed by Greed and Corruption due to lack of efficient governance. The patience of the Hill people was severely tested as they hoped for a better future under the guidance of their representatives. The tested patience and loss of trust suffered by the people finally reached its climax on the 31st of August 2015.The passing of the three controversial bills turned out to be a 'Blessing in disguise'. It awoke a sense of unity among all the Tribals instead.

In spite of the chaos that reigned over the Hills, there is still no sign of consoling, remorse or repentance from the representatives; perhaps they are taken by surprise by the unexpected outcome of the situation. This apathy among the once trusted representatives has come as a blow to the people. Panic has risen among the Tribals. As a result, Anarchy prevailed, the dissatisfied crowd became wild which led to torching the residence of the leaders.
What is the root cause behind all these factors? As observed by me, this tribal movement is the first experience of its kind hitherto. The agitation happened anyway in spite of the obvious lack of coordination among the agitators. Perhaps this maybe the first time an agitation of this magnitude ever took place. Now is the time for retrospection especially from the people and the leaders too. Where do we fail? What do we lack? Or are we being misled by some evil minded people with vested interests? Is this what GOD wants among the Tribals' or not? Time for retrospection!