Still reeling from its comprehensive defeat in Karnataka, the BJP finds no respite in Manipur. While the state is in the process of limping back to normalcy after a bitter ethnic flare-up earlier this month, the local BJP leaders face an inner party rebellion from the tribals in their ranks.

Ten BJP tribal leaders who are MLAs in Manipur have declared they cannot work with the ruling state government in Imphal any longer after the recent conflict. The group includes seven Kuki members. Their statement issued from Mizoram comes in the wake of the recent violence that swept the ethnically sensitive state. Thousands of people belonging to the majority Meitei community and various tribal groups like the Kukis, the Nagas, the Zos (Mizos) and Hmars, became embroiled in deadly clashes, even as the central government sought to redefine the status of the majority group.

Their statement follows a recent meeting in Delhi earlier, where Kuki MLAs and leaders told Union Home Minister Mr Amit Shah that so appalling was the extent of the violence that occurred, they found it hard to live with non tribals in Manipur.

The mob violence began on May 3 and continued for some time as sporadic skirmishes spread to the sparsely guarded interior areas in the hills. The army, para military forces and special police contingents were called in to bring the situation under control. Curfew orders were imposed for a time and the internet facilities remained suspended as well.

The immediate cause of the clashes was an official decision announced by the centre to enlist the majority non tribal Meiteis as a scheduled tribe. This led to a sharp protest by the tribes already listed in the state, numbering around 34, which feared an economic marginalisation and a loss of their status/facilities.

As pointed out earlier, there were other risky factors at work in Manipur which both state-based BJP as well as central leaders seemingly glossed over, as they went about their business of putting official plans into action.

The Meiteis, while accounting for around 53% of the state population, were mostly concentrated in the state capital Imphal and surrounding valleys, covering around 10% of the total area. As for the mostly Christian tribal groups, they lived mostly in the hills enjoying a much larger territory.

While the Meiteis felt squeezed for space in their homeland, the tribes complained that the bulk of economic development and creation of public facilities in recent years were centred in Imphal and surrounding areas. There had been little development in the hills. Most tribespeople felt economically exploited. The religious divide between the major communities again, involving non Christian Meiteis against Christian tribespeoples, did not help in bringing the communities closer either.

Nevertheless, there was no major tensions simmering between the communities before the Central authorities decided to redefine the status of the majority community. Tribal leaders occasionally accused the BJP, which most minority groups accused of being oppressive, of trying to marginalise them on religious grounds in the Northeast as well, but there was no outbreak of violence until recent official announcements from the centre and the Guwahati High Court.

The state Government on the other hand alleged that there had been much illegal encroachment on official land, leading to the destruction of the forest areas in Manipur, benefitting suspected Bangladeshis and other elements. Local politicians were also accused of trying to build loyal vote banks among such people. Prior to launching a drive to ascertain the status of Meiteis or tribals, authorities in Imphal argued, a house to house check of people living in the hills was necessary.

The trouble began as the state began its searches, led by teams of policemen, who were also accompanied by armed Meitei groups. This scared and eventually enraged major tribal groups like the Kukis. It was not long before local resistance began, which led to an armed confrontation eventually. Most reports in the Imphal-based media suggested that the tribal-dominated areas suffered badly in the mob violence, groups attacks and arson that followed.

The official death toll so far is 73, while an estimated 50,000 people have been displaced and are currently sheltering mostly in neighbouring NE states. Official efforts for their return by the central and Manipur Governments are under way. The destruction of scores of houses, offices, shops, place of worship and private establishments as clashes broke out between rival armed groups, had resulted in accumulated losses of over Rs 100 crore, according to some estimates.

But even the financial loss pales in comparison with the long term social price of communal distrust and growing group intolerance that has followed and will take years to live down. Significantly, these members of the BJP party still ruling in Manipur, have made their demands public after holding a meeting in neighbouring Christian/majority Mizoram state. Leaders of Nagas and Kukis in Manipur according to Manipur reports, now insist that the partition of the state between tribal and non tribal segments has already occurred de facto.

State’s BJP Chief Minister Mr Biren Singh in the meantime has announced that the government would take all steps to restore normalcy at the earliest and make sure peace and stability prevail as before. Imphal-based BJP leaders also point out that the central BJP leadership stands firmly behind the state Government in its peace-making efforts. They refer to recent statements made by top BJP leaders from Delhi and particularly, union Home Minister Mr Shah-- to the effect that there is no move at present to make any territorial changes within Manipur for administrative purposes, at any level.

However, NE-based political observers maintain that the BJP might find it no easy task to keep the party flock together in the face of what could easily develop into an inner party rebellion within the ranks over the tribal-non tribal divide that has grown in Manipur in recent times. (IPA Service)