Clashes between the mostly-Hindu Meitei community and predominantly Christian Kuki tribes continue to cause loss of life and mass displacement, and while the government would point to longstanding differences between the communities, it is not a coincidence that it took an anti-minority law to trigger the violence. The BJP-led state government recategorised the Meiteis to allow them to qualify for a special category of government hiring, where positions are reserved for people from backwards tribes, minority religious communities and lower-caste Hindus. The problem is that the Meiteis represent over 50% of Manipur’s population and are members from the majority religion. Relative to other communities in the state, they are also more urbanised, meaning that they do not fairly qualify for preferential treatment. However, as Hindus, a large number of whom have also been radicalised by BJP and RSS propaganda and grassroots manipulation, they are solid BJP voters, meaning that giving them handouts is more important than respecting the law.
The BJP could have fixed the problem by rolling back the law, which was almost universally panned at the time. Instead, it led to violent clashes between the increasingly empowered Meiteis and the further marginalised Kukis. While pulling the law is still an option, too much blood has been spilled for such a move to bring a quick resolution to the problem. Most recently, Meitei student protesters accusing Kuki of using drones to bomb their community – which the Kukis deny – attacked police officials and tried to attack the governor’s house. The BJP did not condemn the attack, lest they offend their own radical base. And because the BJP is unwilling to take violent parties to task or introduce socioeconomic reforms that placate both sides, it is being forced to hide behind internet blocking and media blackouts to keep the truth from getting out. In fact, parts of Manipur have been without the internet for months at a time which, for reference, rivals the blockades previously imposed in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
