Ibobi Singh Plays ‘kuki-districts' Card To Stall BJP March in Manipur

The politics of Manipur – especially in the run up to the assembly polls – is giving a clearer message that the divide between the hills and the valley is getting wider by the day. In effect this means – the differences between Meitei natives and the Nagas in the hills would only increase further. The Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has all the virtues of a surviving political animal – a shrewd, well calculative and even ruthless.

- Swati Deb

In power since 2002, Ibobi had braved through serious political challenges more than once. In 2010 – faced with a serious internal revolt within Congress, he played up an emotive card and disallowed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) faction leader Thuingaleng Muivah’s visit to his native village.

This might have embarrassed the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who had personally assured Muivah about such a visit, but it cemented the ‘Meitei sentiments’ in favour of Ibobi. Subsequently, he not only survived, actually he thrived.

Now, yet again faced with a serious anti-incumbency wave, Ibobi has played another master card.

THE MASTER CARD

This time he split the hill districts – which hitherto were considered administrative strongholds of the Nagas. It goes without saying today that the split in hill districts would complicate the political chess board as the new districts as announced on December 9, 2016 by the Ibobi government would fulfill long pending demand of the Kukis. True to his style, Ibobi summoned a cabinet meet late night and virtually enforced the decision and his colleagues had little choice other than to sign the papers.

A BJP leader in the know of things in Manipur has tried to downplay the political Machiavellian move of Ibobi Singh and told Eastern Panorama, “The new districts are in effect only new administrative set up and not island nations. Same laws of the land would apply and so even Kuki population should be aware of the difference between a regime that plays politics and a dispensation under BJP that will deliver”.

Needless, to add, the BJP has promised a ‘Congress Mukt’ Manipur.