The MPP and the People of Manipur
By Ksh Kennedy Singh
The process of development of Manipur as a political entity was not a joy ride for the people of this region. On the 15th of August 1947, when India attained Independence from the British rule, the supremacy of the British Crown over the native states also came to an end. Along with the lapse of suzerainty, all treaties and agreements in force ceased to operate. As a result, Manipur was free to accede to either Pakistan or India. However, in view of the wishes of the people and the pressures from social and political organizations, the Maharaja declared that he would introduce a fully democratic and constitutional form of government in Manipur and thereby announced the formation of a "Constitution Making Committee" consisting of seventeen members.
However, the Constitutional Monarchy established under the Manipur Constitution Act, 1947 did not last long. In the meanwhile, New Delhi evolved a plan to integrate all native states to counter a move for Balkanization of the country. Under this scheme, the infamous Merger Agreement drive was brought out which was to be entered into with the rulers including the Raja of Manipur. The King of Manipur was one of the few rulers who refused to sign the agreement but was later reportedly coaxed and compelled to sign on 21st September 1949, which subsequently endorsed the formal merger of Manipur with the dominion of India on 15th October 1949.
Thus, this day marked an important day in the history of Manipur as its administration was taken over by the Government of India on that very day. In his message to the people of the state inter alias the late Maharaja Bodhachandra said, "This day, the 15th of October 1949, sounds full notes for a new era. I am confident that it will be the sincere and constant endeavor of the Indian Government to look to the best interest of the people of Manipur".
And today, after more than fifty years of Indian independence, the question of what has India done for the state of Manipur loom large in the minds of the general public. The hope and confidence of the late Maharaja in particular and the citizens in general, which they had at the time of merger, has been reduced to just a wishful thinking! Rather sad is the abysmal ignorance about this state and also the very ignorance of mainstream Indians about the very existence of Manipur as a political unit of the country.
The total neglect of the state by the Center, the step-motherly attitude and indifference meted out by the mainland Indians to the people of Manipur and many other factors have been a great cause of dissatisfaction. It won't be too much to note here that because of these the problem of insurgency surfaced in Manipur and the demand of separation thereafter. Manipur once described, as 'the flower on the lofty hills' has now become a hot bed for insurgency and it's torn by conflicts and ethnic fights.
In the 1930's, with the struggle for freedom by the Indian National Congress (INC) against the British suzerainty, the weakness of the administration and the perverseness of an unscrupulous section of state officials helped the people become aware of their political rights and thus led to the growth of their political consciousness.
The year 1934 marked a turning point in the political history of Manipur when a political organization called the Nikhil Manipuri Mahasabha under the Presidentship of Maharaja Churchand Singh came into existence. The Mahasabha was initially a social organization, but in 1938 it became the first political party of Manipur thus becoming a harbinger of regional parties in Manipur. The birth and growth of regional parties in the Indian political scene has different dimensions. Some parties are inspired not merely by primordial sentiments but also by the existing economic conditions of the various regional and ethnic groups. The rise of regional parties also coincided with the growing dissatisfaction of the decades-long Congress rule in many states and also due to the uneven or lopsided pattern of economic development.
As a matter of fact, the regional parties in India were born out of utter neglect by the Center on the one hand and the people's strong desire to vindicate their rights and privileges as free men. This point could well be attributed to the rise of regional parties in Manipur particularly the Manipur People's Party (MPP).
Among the existing and non-existing regional parties, the MPP is considered most important in Manipur. Defections, shifting of loyalties etc. have been an inherent character of political parties in Manipur. The MPP is no exception.
It is in this backdrop the one wishes to analyze the MPP, which was once a strong political force in the state. The MPP, at the very outset, is an offshoot of the defectors of Indian National Congress (INC). It was formed on December 26, 1968. The Party built up its foundation on a very ambitious footing. In one of MPP's publication, The Emergence of Regional Parties (1968), it says, "the MPP was born out of extreme necessity to have a regional political party to safeguard the ethnic identity of the people, to protect the territorial integrity, to check economic decadence and to promote the regional interest of the people and for their advancement in socio-economic and political spheres". But to one's surprise (?), the constitution of the party defines the MPP as a "voluntary organization of the people who live in Manipur and who espouses the cause of Manipur".
The program of action(s) of the MPP was an ambitious one but even if it realizes the fact that such a program can be implemented only when two conditions exists, namely: sound financial position and political stability, it cannot do anything because these conditions did not exist in Manipur. Who is to blame for this? Of course, the leaders who are power-hungry and who do not have an iota of shame or regret while leaving their original parties in their pursuit to have a share of the power cake.
The MPP initially stressed on the point of its being the real and the only alternative in the state. Emphasizing its regional character, the MPP claimed that it alone could bring prosperity to the people of Manipur. Despite its claims MPP is like any other regional party whose scope of operation is restricted to the articulation of a limited set of interests, whose area of influence is confined to a particular area. The MPP has failed to reach the hill areas and is sort of representing only the valley areas. (This could be seen from its electoral performances).
The MPP for the first time entered onto the arena of electoral tug-of-war in 1972. There was a tremendous excitement in the contest since it was also the first election after the conferment of statehood of Manipur. Almost all the parties, including the MPP, threw a challenge to the Congress and rallied around the banner of anti-Congressism.
In the sixty (60) member Assembly, the MPP won 15 out of 42 seats it contested. It polled 20% of the total votes but won 25% of the seats available for contest. The MPP utilized the fractured verdict and thus formed a coalition government with the help of Socialist Party, Congress (O), and the Independents. A ministry headed by Md Alimuddin under the name of United Legislature Party (ULP) was installed on March 20, 1972. However, dissensions soon cropped up in the government. As a result some members of the ULP ministry defected to the Opposition. Later on, the Opposition moved a non-confidence motion against the government and on March 26, 1973 Md Alimuddin submitted his resignation.
Subsequently, the Assembly was adjourned sine-die and on March 28, 1973 it was dissolved and President's Rule was imposed. But, in the mid-term election held in 1974, MPP held the dominant position by winning 20 seats leaving the Congress only with 13 seats. The MPP had improved its position by getting five more seats. But the fact remained that no party was able to secure an absolute majority in the house and political instability continued to plague the Manipur politics as before.
After the election, both the MPP and the Congress tried to win over different groups and the independents in order to form the government. Lastly, MPP with others support formed the government under the name of United Legislature Party (ULP) headed by Md Alimuddin on 4th March 1974. But interestingly on 8th July 1974, in the course of the Budget Session 6 (six) ULP members crossed the floor. More defections followed on the same day resulting in the resignation of Alimuddin Ministry in the afternoon and thereby the Assembly was adjourned sine-die.
However, soon after the formation of the Janata Government at the Center, political parties in Manipur ran helter-skelter and after much political pulls and pressures finally, on 29th June 1977 a new Janata Ministry under Yangmaso Shaiza was installed. All the members of the Congress Party and the MPP, quite surprisingly, joined the Janata Legislature Party and the Janata Party's strength raised to 55 in the House. (From this very fact, the readers, I hope, won't find any difficulty in judging our leaders.)
The above circumstances and the political behavior of its leaders severely affected the prospects of one of the most promising regional party of Manipur. In the assembly election in 1980, MPP could win only four (4) seats. In the Assembly elections of 1984, the MPP not only reduced in the number of seats it contested but also its electoral performance declined considerably, out of 34 seats it contested, it could gain only 3 seats. Again, after the 1990 Assembly election, on 23rd February, a new Ministry was sworn in under the leadership of MPP stalwart RK Ranbir Singh making an event in the political history of Manipur of being the first non-Congress government in more than a decade despite the prevailing doubts on the question of 'stability', given the past experiences of coalition government.
Truly, from day one uncertainty prevails over the new government. Testimony to it was the refusal of Congress (S) nominee, one of the alliance partners, to take the oath of office on the swearing day itself. The political situation was full-grown for another spell of President's Rule. The 22 months old Ranbir Ministry was finally close on 7th January 1992 and President's Rule was imposed thereafter keeping the option of restoring a popular ministry at an appropriate time. The President's Rule was short lived and lasts only till 8th April 1992. Thanks to RK Dorendro and his political skills. He somehow convinced the former CM and his archrival RK Ranbir of MPP to support him. However, despite all these Dorendro's ministry fell down on 31st December 1993 and subsequently President's Rule came as a gift on the eve of New Year.
After almost one year, another Congress ministry under Rishang Keishing was installed and reigns until the next elections held in February 1995. In this election, the Manipur People's Party (MPP) fielded 55 candidates but it could return only 18 seats in the Assembly. Then came the 2000 elections in which the position of MPP declined considerably. In a sixty member Assembly it could win only four members that too form the valley constituencies only. Furthermore, to their utter disappointment and what could be termed as a downright betrayal, three of the four elected members left the party even before taking the oath as Member of the Legislative Assembly, thus making an irreparable dent in the party.
From the above facts, one can easily notice that the electoral voyage of the oldest existing regional party in Manipur has never been a firm and smooth sailing. Above all these, it has also failed to prove to the general public that it is a mass-based party. At the end, the MPP, as a regional party and by claiming itself as the real alternative to the Congress, had a good beginning in the initial years but since 1980 its political debacle started.
Leaving aside all the past experience, one is compelled to ask how this party will take on and convince the electorates in this round of elections slated to be held in February 2002. Considering the facts and more closely, the political behaviors of their leaders, it seems there is nothing great to expect from this party. Like in every other party, the leaders and cadres of MPP is also not free from the chronic disease of shifting loyalties and parties. The desertion of RK Ranbir Singh, once regarded as the father of MPP and the admission of Dr Nimaichand Luwang, a political figure of the Congress (I) to the party bears the testimony to it.
It is certain that all these will have its reaction and will reflect in the ensuing election definitely and therefore it could be said that the MPP, once a dominant force in the politics of Manipur, despite its claim will not be able to send much MLAs in the coming Assembly. However, in Manipur since it attained statehood in 1972, the final election results showed all the attributes that have characterized so far: "high turn out, political fragmentations and hung Assemblies", and this time too the results will have the same characteristics. In such a situation the MPP can have rooms for political maneuverings and play a political role, even only with a few handfuls of MLAs.
However, being one of the oldest regional parties the MPP should try to rejuvenate the party organization, which has been dwindled down over the years. In the Assembly elections of 2000, the party had jointly fought the battle of ballots under the banner of "Secular Democratic Front" (SDF) together with CPI, JD (S) and its traditional rival, the Indian National Congress, in a bit to defeat the ruling MSCP. Despite of the political alliance, the outcome of the election results shocked the Manipur People's Party. Therefore, it is imperative for the Party to review its policy and programs and must examine the existing political environment minutely before entering into any kind of alliance or pact (pre or post-poll) with any political party. Thus, by doing so, the party has nothing to lose but to gain in their struggle for political power.
But for the innocent or rather ignorant electorates, cutting across party lines... Yes!! anything can happen anytime in the murky politics of Manipur. We, the electorates as they say, can do many things but they don't know our problems that we are not yet politically educated and our political consciousness is still at the lowest point. So, one thinks that the best thing we can do is just cast our votes according to our own conveniences and wait by keeping our fingers crossed for the disaster to happen, isn't it?? After all is said and done, the fact that: "Power - the first love of every politician is a treacherous beloved. Like those of pretty woman of little virtues, her wooers are many and her loyalties shifting" will remain the same on the political stage of Manipur.
(Courtesy: The Imphal Free Press)
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