Nowadays on my feed the news of manipur fire is going beserk, and how modi and co. aren't doing much or going to manipur to stop it? Someone even said had it been in up or bihar the action would have been imminent. But because it's NE state, it's been overlooked. Is modi really not doing anything? If so, then why?
Also the whole women reservation bill which was to be passed by BJP but couldn't because CONGRESS opposed it despite congress having the whole feminist narrative going outside, yet BJP is facing the backlash and mockery like '6'7 matcha drinker btw' . I don't understand any of it? Was the bill really that performative? I mean the ratio of men increased to 850 yet women only 33% which was cancelled, then why all that?
Those people who are saying that why isn't the central government doing anything in Manipur just don't fundamentally understand Northeast India. They don't understand Manipur and the conflict there. Manipur as a state consists of the hilly and plain areas. The hilly area is where the Meiteis live, and the capital Imphal is in the middle. The hills are encircled by the plains that are inhabited by Kuki tribes. Manipuris are mostly Hindu Vaishnavas, with a sizeable Sanamahi revivalist and christian minority + the Pangals (muslim manipuris). The Sanamahi revivalists are not truly Sanamahi though, they're revanchist against Hinduism and they don't usually want to associate with India, thanks to Congressi misrule after independence. Manipuris aren't just Meiteis but there are also Bishnupriya Manipuris, they speak a language that is quite close to the dialect of Bengali that I speak. They're all Vaishnavas. Meitei purists don't consider Bishnupriya Manipuris as real Manipuris, they think that Bishnupriyas are Bengalis. This is just a summary on the ethnic and sociocultural situation in Manipur.
The plains are inhabited by the Kukis, an ethnically Burmese tribe. The vast majority of Kukis converted to Christianity, mainly to protestant denominations, particularly to the Baptist church, in the 19th and early 20th centuries due to missionary work. Since the late 20th century, some Kukis even adopted Messianic Judaism and did their aaliyah to Israel. So, not only there is an ethnic difference but also a religious one. This is important to keep in mind when you start studying the etiology of the current conflict. The Kuki people were granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status under the Constitution Order 1950, which was promulgated by the first government of independent India led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Meiteis do not have ST status, even though Meiteis have requested for it. The Meiteis' request was rejected because they are largely Hindus, and also because the Meiteis' demand has faced strong opposition from existing ST groups in Manipur, who fear losing reservation opportunities. It is precisely the ST status application that caused the current flareup. Why are the Meiteis demanding for ST status though? It's because individuals with ST status in India are protected by distinct land laws that differ significantly from general category laws. Due to this reason, Manipuris are in a predicament - the land which the Manipuris inhabit are shrinking, and this is a major cause of concern among the Manipuris, who feel that the only way to protect their land is by also applying for the ST status and Inner Line Permit demands. People often ask that why can't the Manipuris and Kukis solve their disputes peacefully. The reason is that the conflict is centuries long. Manipur had several wars with Burma, known as the Manipuri-Burmese war of 1717 to 1749. I highly encourage you to google this and read upon this if you're interested learning more about Manipur. Currently, the border between India and Burma is porous due to a very difficult and dangerous terrain. This allows a lot of illegal activities, including human, arms and narcotics trafficking, and anyone with cursory knowledge knows what happens in the "golden triangle". The current ethnic conflict in Manipur is deeply intertwined with narcotics trafficking, illicit arms proliferation, and political issues surrounding land and migration.
The central government of India is doing their best to calm the situation in Manipur. But you have to understand that being a border state with ethnoreligious conflict and foreign powers meddling is a difficult problem to solve. Just last month, CIA agent Matthew Van Dyke along with Ukrainian agents got caught in Manipur for smuggling weapons and drones ⬇️
Some critics have rushed to dismiss any connection between the seven foreign nationals, American Matthew Aaron VanDyke and six Ukrainians, r
Indians sitting in Delhi Mumbai Bengaluru cannot fathom the volatile situation in NE. It takes a lot from Indian Army and security forces to prevent a major escalation and a genocide.
And yes, the discourse about women reservation in the parliament can be seen as "BJP's attempt to woo women voters", a narrative that is being pushed by Indian opposition, because it undeniably looks like the parties that claim themselves to be progressive and leftist are opposing women representation in democracy. Now, some people may believe that BJP did it only for the optics. But anyone who's been following Indian politics should understand that even if it was for the optics, BJP is genuinely committed to uplift women. The slogan "Beti padhao Beti bachao" (educate daughters, save daughters) was coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it was launched as a national campaign in 2015. Under the Prime Ministership of Modi. The data from the periodic labour force survey shows that the female labour force participation rate has risen under the Modi government, increasing from 23% in 2017 to 42% in 2023. Therefore, it is extremely hypocritical of Congress party, the same party that claimed that women don't want sanitation because they want only mobile telephones, is preaching about performative activism.
Anyway, these are just my thoughts.
