Saving the indigenous people from the large scale influx of non-locals into the State.
Security along the Indo-Myanmar border and at Jiribam beefed up to check the entry of Rohingya Muslims who have fled their homestead in the neighbouring country following the crackdown launched by the Myanmarese army.
Assembly Speaker Yumnam Khemchand making it clear that it is the immigrants from Bangladesh who pose a bigger threat than Rohingya Muslims.
Clearly the focus is on the need to check the incursion of outsiders into the State and while there may be different takes on the view of the Speaker, none can deny that the world has seen how unchecked infiltration from Bangladesh has drastically impacted on the demographic composition of Assam.
How the influx of Bangladeshi immigrants gave birth to the anti-foreigner movement in Assam under the influential and powerful All Assam Students’ Union in the last century is a lesson that cannot be forgotten in a hurry.
Tripura is an example of how large scale influx of non-local people can decimate the local people to the status of second class citizens with the non-local people today controlling everything, the economy and politics of the State.
It is this apprehension which has reared its head in Manipur in the form of the intense movement launched under the aegis of the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System to regulate the inflow of non-local people into the State.
Again it is the apprehension of foreigners overwhelming the economy and politics of the country which has led to the sharp vigil at the border in the wake of the large scale displacement of Rohingya Muslims.
Clearly the State Government cannot be caught napping on these crucial issues.
It is here that the observation of the Assembly Speaker gains significance.
More than likely that Yumnam Khemchand was not merely shooting in the dark but may have had some feedbacks.
Would be good if the details can be spelt out before the media in Manipur. A look at the demographic composition of Jiribam district will certainly help.
Also significant to note that United Committee, Manipur has taken exception to the statement of All Jiribam Linguistic Organisation.
What is the antecedents of the members of this organisation is the natural question that follows. Vote bank politics.
For long this has been an election tactic adopted by many unscrupulous political leaders and one may surmise that the same may have happened at Jiribam and the spill over factor in other parts of the State cannot be dismissed that easily.
Assam today stands as an example and if no lesson has been learnt from the Assam experience then the future is indeed gloomy.
This is about incursion from a foreign country but take a look at Tripura where the indigenous people have virtually been reduced to a minority in their own land and the apprehension felt here in Manipur cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand.
Source: The Sangai Express
