IMPHAL, Feb 24: The president of proscribed Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), Irengbam Chaoren has extended his warm greetings to the people of Manipur on the occasion of Independence Demand Day which falls on February 25.
In his message, the RPF president stated that the existing political conflict which is basically between India and Manipur is being steadily transformed into an internal conflict within the nation state of Manipur. Government of India has recruited a large number of people of Manipur into security establishments and related units by taking advantage of the sheer large volume of unemployment in the state. The politico-military conflict is slowly taking new characteristics of internecine killings and communal polarization, he said.
He appealed to the people to save the Manipuri society from this predicament and cautioned the people to check all activities of collaborators along with fighting the colonial regime.
Whatever initiatives taken up by the state government in the name of bringing a solution to the revolutionary movement have been only adding fuel to the fire of turmoil which is fast engulfing the whole society instead of heralding any chance of peace. While the people have been facing extra burden due to the overwhelming number of revolutionary groups, government of India has been nurturing many new pseudo revolutionary groups which are directly straining the inseparable bond between our people and revolutionaries, Chaoren maintained.
All kinds of activities not compatible to revolutionary ethics perpetrated by pseudo revolutionary groups, all the plots to keep revolutionary groups divided, conspiracies to ignite internecine killings, goading youngsters into surrender dramas, giving free hand to some armed groups in the name of ceasefire pacts to challenge the integrity of Manipur and divide the people on communal lines so as to give a false meaning to the revolutionary movement are all government schemes, the RPF chief enjoined.
RPF never sees the ruling political class, bureaucrats and Manipuri people working in security forces as its enemy, and there is no question of attacking them deliberately. To RPF, all these sections of people are also suffering under the Indian colonial rule together with the mass, and hopeful that they would one day join the mass and fight against India, he asserted.
All the repressive measures perpetrated by the Indian security personnel including custodial killings are no longer a secret to the international community. As per a report of the Human Rights Commission, 1,500 people died in police custody every year in India. On account of such notorious record, there were cases when many Indian security men, both working and retired were denied entry in some countries. In Manipur, to avoid harsh criticisms against custodial deaths, security forces have devised a sinister mechanism called Fake Encounter to eliminate people in cold blood without any sort of trial. Summary killings in the guise of fake encounters cannot be concealed for good and there would come a time when all those accused in such killings must stand in the dock, Chaoren stated.
In the meantime, the incessant influx of non-Manipuris has severely affected demography of Manipur. The people now face a grave threat from these immigrants. Already, it has been reported that immigrants now constitute almost one-third of the total population of Manipur. Given their high birth rate, it is most probable that the immigrants would outnumber indigenous population of Manipur after some years. This would bring about drastic changes in the socio-political set up of Manipur. Political power would fall in the hands of immigrants and they would attain over lordship over the indigenous communities. Out of the 700 crore (approximately) population of Earth, Indians constitute the overwhelming bulk of 121 crore. A few years hence, India would overtake all other countries as the most populous country in the world. Such a situation evokes one inevitable question. It’s only natural for a populous country to spread their population to other countries in accordance to their own convenience. Given the salubrious climate and plenty of self employment avenues available in Manipur, the influx of Indians into Manipur is understandable. The indigenous people must not give any undue advantage to the immigrants to make permanent settlement in the State. The indigenous people must not rent out rooms to immigrants, sell land/plots, hire them as labourers, buy things from them, associate with them in business ventures nor encourage inter-marriage with the immigrants. It is another inescapable duty of the revolutionary groups to send back all those immigrants together with those impostor labourers sent into the state to serve as compradors of the colonial rule if they try to make their settlement in Manipur permanently in spite of all the measures our indigenous people must take up against Indian influx, the RPF president mentioned in the message.
The fundamental objectives of this economic system is to destroy all indigenous economic institutions, develop a culture of dependence and groom a class of people who believe in the colonial regime. This is exactly what is being witnessed in our society today. The prevailing economic system based on construction of roads, bridges, drains and Government offices only benefits these class of people but there is no scope for collective well being and development, Chaoren noted.
The economic model being put into practice today in the name of development, and its objectives are not for welfare for the indigenous people. The same model is aimed at benefitting only the Indians. In fact, Loktak Hydro Electric Project, Ithai Barrage Project, et al. were also envisaged and taken up by keeping benefits to Indians in mind. The same is true for the controversial Tipaimukh Project, he maintained.
Huge amounts are being pumped into the state in the name of development but any worthwhile development still eludes the mass and the people are yet to enjoy any meaningful benefits of development, he exhorted.
During its war with East Timor, Indonesia, apart from the heavy casualty suffered by its military, had to spend 360 million dollars every year. Indonesia’s expenditure to such magnitude resulted in serious economic crisis within the country and it earned infamy from all over the world compelling it to free East Timor. India would face similar situation in its war with Manipur and it would be ultimately constrained to vacate Manipur, he said.
Chaoren further asserted that RPF has full faith in the activities of CorCom which was set up by seven revolutionary groups having similar principles and objectives and this landmark event of forming CorCom would elevate the revolutionary movement to a heightened trajectory. CorCom would enable a collective struggle not only with revolutionary groups based in neighbouring states but also with all friendly revolutionary groups opposed to the Indian regime against the common enemy under a new strategy.
The so-called popular government formed by elected representatives of the state is not a popular government in the real sense of the term. This is, in fact, a government formed by government of India in collaboration with a small minority of people so as to keep Manipur under their occupation for many more years. The so-called representatives are only proxies of imperialist India who are only managing the colonial regime under strict instruction from New Delhi. The government of Manipur has no authority of its own and it cannot act outside the instructions given by New Delhi. There is nothing the people can expect from the government, the RPF chief averred.