HVK Archives: Unholy nexus that feeds insurgency
Unholy nexus that feeds insurgency - Financial Times
P P S
()
2 June 1996
Title : The unholy nexus that feeds insurgency
Author : P P S
Publication : Financial Times
Date : June 2, 1996
THE TROUBLE with the North-East is that its underground to too
all-pervasive to remain underground. The ever-increasing nexus
between politicians and insurgent outfits is, in fact, one of the
major reasons responsible for the region's current plight.
On October 5, 1993, a confidential report by Lt. Gen. V K
Nayar, former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, clearly indicated
the politician-underground nexus in the militancy-ridden states
of Manipur and Nagaland. "The real issue here right now," said
the report, "is to find an end to the frequent manipulation by
power-hungry groups or individuals." Incidentally, the document
was later presented to the Parliament and conveniently leaked to
the media."
The report accuses leading politicians in the two states -
including present Chief Minister of Manipur Rishang keishing
along with some of his Naga colleagues - of links with outlawed
organisations like the NSCN (IM). The Governor also accused the
then Chief Minister of Manipur R K Dotendra Singh of harbouring
links with Meitei outfits.
This, of course, was not the first time that Dorendra Singh was
accused of underground connectios. Indeed, he had to step down in
November 1980, when the army accused him of harbouring links
with
the Peoples Revolutionery Party of Kangleipak. Reports doing the
rounds those days also spoke about Dorendra's connections with
the Kuki underground and the fact that he paid huge amounts as
subscription to these groups. Indeed, the Dorendra ministry was
divided into Pro-Kuki and Pro-Naga sympathisers. His finance
minister C Doungel aria power minister Holkhomang Haokip
(another Kuki in the Dorendra ministry) apparently harboured
links with Kuki underground organisations.
Gen. Nayar also alleged that Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir
had regular meetings with the Khaplang faction of the NSCN.
Similarly the army accused Rishang of links with the NSCN after
Operation Blue Bird in Oinam village in the Senapati district of
Manipur. They even went to the extent of saying that as long as
Rishang remained the, CM, it would not be possible for the army
to solve the Naga-Kuki problem.
In neighbouring Tripura too political parties have been accused
of maintaining clandestine links with major underground groups.
While the CPI(M) has been accused of harbouring links with the
ATTF, the erstwhile Cong(I)-TUJS was accused of raising the
Tripura Rajya Rakhi Bahini - an insurgent outfit.
This, in fact, created quite a massive row when in September 1993
the Border Security Force arrested more than 80 armed member
of
the TRRB in Chamanu area and handed them over to the state
police. But they were let off from the police station reportedly
under the intervention of Shayama Charan Tripura,
chairman of TUJS and vice chairman of the State Planning Board at
that time and Sudhir Ranjan Majumder, the state Chief Minister.
The CPI(M) also accused Majumder of having used the TNV during
the 1988 state Assembly elections, to create a scenario that
would necessitate the deployment of the army. Not surprisingly,
although over 4,200 insurgents belonging to 19 different outfits
(officially, however, there are only seven outfits operating in
the state) have surrendered in the last eight years, peace still
remains a distant dream in Tripura.
In Assam, where ULFA and Bodo insurgents have played havoc
with
the economy, the two major political parties - the Cong(I) and
the AGP - are accused of mothering an insurgent outfit each. The
ploy: to destabalise the rival government.
While speaking about late CM Hiteshwar Saikia, Dulal Baruah,
former president of the Assam Unit of the Janata Dal, in a signed
press release in 1994, said that "the divisive forces are a
clever creation of the very government, the aim being to keep
itself on the saddle of power. Looldng back, at 1985-86, the
Bodo militants were trained by RAW in Orissa to counter the AASU
and AGP wave."
The Cong(I) in Assam, for its part, has been accusing the AGP of
having links with the ULFA and using them for political gains in
the current elections. In a recent press conference, the party
alleged that the present government will be run by the ULFA
'through proxy'.
If the political parties are accused of links with the
underground then security forces too cannot claim to be entirely
blameless. The army has been accused of encouraging Kuki
militants to weaken the Naga underground in Manipur.
It was reported in almost all the local papers that the army has
been training and arming the Kukis with the help of the local
police. Similarly the RAW has been accused of training and
arming the Bodo militants-in Assam for the benefit of the
political in Delhi.
These unholy alliances continue to thrive and @ on the
instability in the region. And neither the political parties nor
the army seems remotely interested in Weeding out these
connections. After all, any attempt to do so is bound to harm the
interests of one lobby or the other. Which, in fact, makes one
wonder - is anyone really serious about putting an end to
insurgency in the North East?
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