Manipur unrest: 10 opposition parties demand meaningful peace talks

In a joint letter to Governor Anusuiya Uikey, ten opposition parties in Manipur have expressed their dismay over the absence of "meaningful peace talks" to put an end to the unrest in the northeastern state.

The memorandum, which was sent to the governor on Friday afternoon, asks her to assist in restoring democracy, bringing about peace, and offering sufficient assistance and rehabilitation to people impacted by the conflict between Meiteis and Kukis.

It states that "no meaningful peace talks with the concerned stakeholders is in sight" and emphasizes that the crisis has persisted for more than five months.

"You (the governor) will concur that both the federal government and state governments have opted for a non-interventionist approach to the ethnic group conflict crisis," the memorandum states.

Instead, they are making an effort to divert attention from the primary causes of the situation by clinging to the notion that foreign militant groups are plotting to attack India.

It needs no attention to identify a solution by accurately analyzing the situation' underlying causes. In order to restore normalcy to the state, it is imperative that federal and state authorities participate in the peace process.

The Congress, Janata Dal United, CPI, CPM, Trinamul Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, All India Forward Bloc, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and RSP are the ten political parties that support the memorandum. These parties are a part of the Opposition bloc INDIA, which was just established to challenge the BJP in the general election of the next year.

Representatives of the federal and state governments, such as governor Uikey and chief minister N. Biren Singh, have frequently called for harmony and the peaceful settlement of disputes through negotiation. However, there hasn't been a gathering of elected officials from the two opposing groups or civil society organizations.

Out of the 60 MLAs in the state, 10 Kuki-Zo MPs have continuously requested a separate administration for their community. The chief minister and other Meitei organizations, on the other hand, are adamantly opposed to any "division" of Manipur.

The memorandum states that "local civil societies formed by many sections of the society" are attempting "to fill the gap of missing governance by resorting to various forms of agitations and pronouncements" as a result of the state and central government apparatuses' "failure" to "manage the serious crisis" of law and order.

The state government's numerous "prohibitory measures," which aim "to prevent the citizens from the exercise of their fundamental rights," including the freedom of speech, the right to assemble, and the right to constructively criticize the government, have also been brought to attention.

The letter has highlighted that this is the case even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi "proudly" said that India is the motherland of democracy.

Additionally, the federal, state, and vigilante governments—as well as the groups they support—have terrorized the populace and violated democratic norms and the Constitution by preventing people from exercising their fundamental rights. Therefore, the memorandum states that these limits ought to be removed right away. "Any illegal limitation imposed by the government undermines democracy as envisioned by the Indian Constitution."

The ten opposition parties have stated that they will back any government initiative aimed at resolving the many problems facing the state.

They have asserted, however, that the government's aid program for conflict victims is "inadequate in terms of coverage and quantum."

They have called for a reexamination of the relief and rehabilitation programs, involving those impacted by the crisis such as drivers, daily wage earners, and company owners.

The 10 parties have identified another urgent matter, which is the return of the dead from the unrest to their families so they can perform last rites. Early in September, Manipur police reported that 96 unclaimed bodies were in the morgues.

The note states, "We would request you to arrange for handing over of mortal remains at the earliest."

On October 7, the state government convened a conference to discuss the identification and disposition of the bodies.

Since the turmoil started on May 3, at least 176 people have died and nearly 67,000 have been displaced.