State Re-organisation to Solve Indo - Naga Issue

Why India mentioned Manipur in the Shillong Accord of 1976 as Supplementary Agreement, without consulting the Government of Manipur? The same thing is repeated now while signing the Indo-Naga Framework Agreement of 2015. And some fools in the United Naga Integration Council thought that state unit of Indian National Congress is the final authority to allow the integration of Naga tribes, paving way for a separate homeland in Manipur. 

If BJP Government at the Centre is happy and convinced to satisfy few tribes who called themselves as Naga in Manipur, then please work towards State Re-organisation in entire Northeast India. If India is ready for South Nagalim within Manipur and "shared sovereignty" in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, let us divide Northeast based on the ethnic communities.

Though, it is impossible for State Re-organisation in the ambit of Indian Constitution. If Centre believes they can play with the Constitution of India to appease few people, let us do state re-organisation!

The BJP Government in Assam should stop importing and exporting Bangladeshi Muslims or Hindus first. For Assam will have drastic impact with the appeasement policies of Centre. The BJP government at the Centre is seriously concerned about pleasing Th Muivah, NSCN (IM) leader from Manipur to be the torch bearer of ending decades long Indo-Naga conflicts.

Let those tribes residing in Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur make their own land. Likewise, Assamese living in the entire Northeast too formed a separate State. Let Kukis living in Manipur, Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland too formed a separate Kukiland.

Meetei must formed a separate land with those Meetei living in Nagaland, Assam Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram. The same rights be given to other communities too, if India believes that such proposal to integrate Nagas is acceptable for bringing peace in the entire region.

The question is how much sacrifices have been done by some tribes who called themselves Naga. How many villages in Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh are torched and innocent killed by Indian forces to suppress the Naga struggles for freedom from India? How many villages in the proposed South Nagalim revolted against the Indian forces like the Naga brothers are suffering for freedom from India? 

During the period from 1953 to 1955 it was reported that the activity of the Naga Movement resulted in lawlessness, violence and created a fear psychosis in the minds of people living in the Naga Hills. By 1955 over 10,000 Nagas had been beaten up and tortured, 1562 women were beaten up and assaulted, out of whom 709 girls were below 20 years of age. 515 granaries were destroyed or burned down,1811 men were maimed through torture, 482 houses had been looted by Indian soldiers; 60 houses belonging to Naga leaders were pulled down and many schools were occupied by the Indian armed forces; 46 villages, containing 10, 791 houses had been attacked as many as 223 times, and Rs 86, 517.60 was been imposed as "fines". 

Let us not linked Oinam incident in Manipur with the freedom struggle of Nagas. It was purely a different issue. On 9 July 1987 the Oinam village become quite a nightmare of terror and horror when the Assam Rifles Outpost near this village was raided in broad daylight by the NSCN. 

Indian general elections of 1952 and 1957 had been totally boycotted by the Naga brothers. But, the so called Tangkhul leaders were enjoying in Delhi as Member of Parliament, right from 1952 onward. And why no Tangkhuls or Maos or Zeliangrongs or Marams or any Naga tribe who claimed to settle in Manipur, signed the 1951 plebiscite? 

BJP leaders should study the facts and act accordingly. Entire communities in Northeast want to see Naga get their solutions, for they have suffered much! But India should not divide Manipur or any other States to satisfy fake Naga tribes who were waging war against its own people!

Unique Naga History - Where is Tangkhul in the history?

One cannot create Unique Naga history in the Northeast region by showing "Head Hunter", "Snake Eater", "Roman Script", or  Christianity".  If the Britishers were not in the North East frontier of India, the term "Naga" would not be created even in 2016 A.D. 

Instead of fooling present and future generations, the apostle of Tangkhul, Shri Th Muivah should  provide genuine, undistorted and acceptable history of the Tangkhul to be eligible to call themselves "Naga". Give us the political history, traditional and cultural insignia of Tangkhul to be part of  unified Naga history. 

Th Muivah began the Nagafication of Manipur tribes starting 1960s and even resort to ethnic cleansing, the infamous Naga Kuki War of 1990s  which is carried out to Aimol tribes recently.

As per Linguistic and Anthropologist definition, of the term Naga, Tangkhuls were not naked tribes. . Like the Meetei,  Tangkhul forefathers have beautifully weave 10 patterns of cloths. With the coming of Christian, the western writer and the Church preachers called those native people who follow the indigenous religion as "Haomi" (people of Hao). "Kameo" is  the indigenous religion of the Tangkhul community. Just like Sanamahi of the Meetei.

To define religion for the people of Tangkhul was easy if the definition was to be given based on the Christian faith they have at present but to define it from the traditional religion the people had, was one tough thing. There was no god, there was no name to their religion, rather only the spirits which also vary from village to village.

Some Tangkhul scholars says that the Nagas have been in their present settlement (known as Nagalim- created lately after 1950s) since time immemorial. However, their own folklores do not support this theory. Tangkhul folklores tell us that they originated in Myanmar.

Origin of Tankhuls is vague and tangkhul scholars gave different versions of their origin. Some connect them with the Valley, some give Hundung (near present Ukhrul town) and some Makhen in Senapati district of Manipur.

They further defend that British did not intefere with the affairs of the Nagas. This is completly wrong . Even the term "Naga" was attached with different tribes of Manipur by Christian preachers, anthropologist etc, with sole purpose of setting a theocratic land in the Northeast frontier of erstwhile British India. British gifted the Tangkhuls and other hill tribes "Christian", "Naga" "Bible", "Roman Script" and "Western Education" as early as 1890s, yet we regarded Tangkhul as under privileged tribes in the Indian Constitution.

British left India in 1947, yet slavery is there in the form of religion. When the struggle for freedom was in full swing, a section of Christian occupied ideas started demanding continuation of British rule in their area (present day Kohima). Some British officers thus, put forth the idea of "Crown Colony" between Myanmar and India, comprising of Christianize tribes from both Countries. 

Tangkhuls and other tribes of Manipur were in their own world at this juncture. They have no idea of a Naga movement until 1950s when A.Z.Phizo came to Manipur to gather soldiers for Naga National Council (NNC). Can we termed event which is born in 1950s, just 70 years as "Unique" and indigenous political history?

Mount Japvo (3000 MSL), which is close to present day Manipur border in Nagaland and other associated mountain range are much higher than the the mountains of Manipur. When head hunters was the danger faced even by Britishers, how could the Tangkhul mixed with the tribes residing in Kohima, crossing the difficult Mount Javpo? There was not a single reference to Tangkhul and Nagaland interaction till 20th Century.  These high peak act as a "watershed" for the flow of Tangkhuls staying in Ukhrul and Nagas staying in Kohima. 

However, it is not wrong to say the tribes of Nagaland had done business and exchange cultural symbols with the plains of Assam since time immemorial. Same as the Meeteis have done with the Cacharis, Tripuris and Ahoms for more than 2000 years.

Some 10 years ago, before Th Muivah and Government of India have come together for a Ceasefire Agreement, the real Nagas from Nagaland  regarded Tangkhuls an unwelcome guest and ruled out the possibility being a part of the Nagas. I am confident this political marriage will not be acceptable by the Nagas of Nagaland even today.

If Scholars and Political researchers are claiming tribes of Manipur (be it the Tangkhul, Kabui, Maram) have close unique history with the Nagas of Nagaland, where is the connecting link between them?  I don't find any missing links here, be it in terms of business, matrimonial, language or religion.

In early days, important and most prosperous Tangkhul villages of Ukhrul, Tolloi, Ngaimu, Somdal, Tuinem and Phadang have business relationship with the Meeteis in the valley. 

Today, the cultural promotion group among the Tangkhuls are proud of their rich colourful dresses like the Haora (shawl) which they now called Naga Shawl,  While promoting the beautiful design and colours of Leirum phi, kairao phi, Lai phi, Longkhum Kasum, Sukham phi, Pordesum phi the group should not forget to mention the Meetei for providing those indigenous dyes used by the weavers of Tangkhuls. 

Distortion of words and terms to get a unique history is a blunder doing by the scholars nowadays. They want every Meetei name or termed to be abolished from the Tangkhul village to delink the age old history of Tangkhul in Manipur to represent themselves as Naga. On the contrary, even today, one Tangkhul village can't understand the dialects of another village in Manipur.

Many places and villages in the remotest Tangkhul region have Meetei names. To cite few, Jessami is Phundrak, Svemi is Chingjaroi, Ramvah is Lambui. If Meetei have not reached these villages, there won't be any necessity of naming these place. 

Many young Convent educated historian claimed that Manipur Kingdom was valley based only. British expand the map of Manipur to hills. The question is "Are Britishers Meetei king's close relatives or friends"? These Convent educated historian forget the ABC of British Colonial Imperialism.  Those who talked of Manipur got the present Hill districts from British should know that  the British Imperial never tolerated any independent authority which they thought obstacles  in their rule.

When the Britisher who came as late as 1890s knows about the history of Manipur, why the Tangkhul and other communities who have been living  in the land for many centuries didn't understand the history of Manipur? It's a shame indeed!

Modern Manipur was neither created after 1947 nor created by the British in 1830s. It had been there, ruled by valley based Kings, indeed, the longest dynasty to rule any kingdom in world history! British accepted the situation and the borders of Meetei Kingdom.

When Manipur was defeated in the Anglo Manipur war, Britishers posted an political resident as done in all principalities in their occupied Kingdoms. Thus Manipur was also included in British India. The hills of Manipur were in the territory of Meetei King and the King was under the British. If the Hills were outside the King's authority, then it would be outside the British Empire.

In nearly every Tangkhul Village, the title "Khullakpa" was given to an officer for convenience of administration of village affairs. There is also an officer titled "Meetei Lambu" who knows the Meetei language more than other villagers.

Now, every tribes of Manipur who are proud to call themselves "Naga by Blood" must answer Where is Naga, what language does Naga speaks, What religion does Naga follows, how old is the political history of Naga?

If unable to give a reply, the best way is to embrace the traditional and native culture, religion and language which every proud community is following to promote their roots.