Manipur is “like a Civil War” but Government Response is “Ad Hoc and Knee-Jerk”- Congress Manipur MP

Manipur is "like a civil war" but government response is "ad hoc and knee-jerk": Congress Manipur MP, Bimol Akoijam, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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The Congress Party’s MP for Inner Manipur has said that the present situation in Manipur is “like a civil war” but the government’s response, both at the Centre and at the State level, is “ad hoc and knee-jerk”. Prof. Bimol Akoijam went on to suggest that both governments are guilty of deliberate mishandling.



In a 30-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Bimol Akoijam, who is also Professor of Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, clarified that when Congress President Kharge asked President Murmu to intervene he did not have President’s rule in mind but was seeking from her greater clarity and a better understanding of the situation.



Asked if he was approached by Mr. Modi for his advice on how to resolve the crisis in Manipur what he would suggest, Prof. Akoijam specified four specific measures. I will deliberately leave you to see the interview to find out what they are. However, I will add that one of them seems to preclude the Kuki demand for a separate administration. Prof. Akoijam defended this on the grounds that it was an assumption that all Kukis want a separate administration.



Perhaps paradoxically, this demand seems to have been supported by Mr. Chidambaram in a tweet, that he subsequently deleted, when he called for “regional autonomy” for the Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities in Manipur. When this was put to Prof. Akoijam he said it was Mr. Chidambaram’s personal position and not that of the Congress Party.



In answer to another question, Prof. Akoijam made it clear that he supports the COCOMI demand that the Kuki groups covered by the SoO Agreement should be declared unlawful organizations. Again, I will leave you to see the interview for his explanation of this.


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