The BJP’s tenure in power in Manipur has been a disaster of corruption, mismanagement and sectarian bloodshed.
In May 2023, Manipur witnessed severe ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities, when tensions reached a boiling point, with the majority-Hindu Meiteis being granted Scheduled Tribe status, which granted them special privileges, access to jobs etc.
This, combined with months of incendiary remarks from the BJP Chief Minister Biren Singh led to the clashes. The conflict led to nearly 250 deaths, widespread displacement, and numerous human rights abuses, including sexual violence. The BJP-led state government poured fuel on the fire with biased policies and affiliations with Meitei militant groups.
The Central Government’s response was also woeful. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief address in Parliament was insulting, given the scale of the crisis, where hundreds have been killed and over 60,000 have been displaced, and shows how little the BJP cares about restoring peace in the region. The only solution proposed by the state was to re-introduce the hated, draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
The BJP’s Hindutva poison is having a highly damaging effect in the northeast. Aside from stoking violence and vigilantism in Manipur; in Assam, the BJP has also communalised the process of managing migration, by singling out “migrant Muslims”.
The Modi government has also been condemned for underutilising development funds intended for the northeast, and failing to conduct an effective peace process with China. The Naga peace talks, aimed at resolving decades of Chinese insurgency, have stalled.
Amidst the nightmare it has created, the BJP has also been accused of manipulating electoral rolls to retain power in the state by removing legitimate voters to secure control in non-BJP states and strengthening its hold in regions it already governs.
The BJP regime in Manipur, and across India, is thoroughly rotten.
A supporter from the region wrote to us about his experiences living under the BJP regime. We will let him speak in his own words:
“The people are good but the government isn’t. They treat us like a colony, exploiting us and giving us nothing in return, just promises and lies. Basic needs like roads and cleaning are neglected. Roads are left unfinished for years. They always tell us they will do the work, but in many cases it hasn’t even started.
“The people of the northeast deserve better than this. We must rise up and overthrow these capitalist crooks and gangsters, and manage society for ourselves. Revolution and socialism are the only solution!”
