(This is the latest edition of the Political Line newsletter curated by Varghese K. George. The Political Line newsletter is India’s political landscape explained every week. You can subscribe here to get the newsletter in your inbox.)
Unity is strength, as they say. From Manipur to Tamil Nadu, and on the question of the Uniform Civil Code, the BJP’s obsession with oneness and discipline is not exactly creating either unity or strength.
At least 134 people have been killed in sectarian violence in Manipur that has been going on for two months; in Tamil Nadu, Governor R.N. Ravi announced the dismissal of a Minister in an unprecedented breach of constitutional norms. Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked him to walk back the announcement, but the controversy is far from over. What is common between Manipur and Tamil Nadu? In both States, there are strong cultural and ethnic identities which exist in a delicate balance with regional and national identities. Both States are theatres of an enhanced drive by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its agents towards closer integration with its version of nationalism, clearer categories, labels, and disciplining of people.
Mr. Ravi is on a mission to tame Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu, and it is not going well. As our editorial points out, he is also trampling on constitutional norms. Mr. Shah’s intervention averted a full-blown crisis, but Mr. Ravi has no plans to stop.
After trying to claim the power that the constitution does not give him, he played new tricks. Even before the dust that he kicked up by “dismissing” the Minister settled, he claimed Prime Minister Modi had a “divine mandate” to spread Sanatana Dharma to the entire world. Not only that, according to Mr. Ravi’s unity vision, “Even if that person says, ‘No I am not part of your family’…as far as I am concerned you are mine, you are us…” Well, those who know history might doubt the wisdom of this thought, whatever philosophy it is couched in.
Mr. Ravi champions Sanatana Dharma wherever and whenever he gets an opportunity. This is not going well in Tamil Nadu. Last year, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader T.R. Baalu had protested that the Governor stick to the Constitution and keep Sanatana Dharma aside.
The Meiteis and Kukis have had a hesitant compact within the State of Manipur, alongside episodes of violent clashes down the decades. In fact, the State of Manipur is a microcosm of India’s story itself, of how diverse peoples come together as a political unit, and how things can go wrong. Communities living in this region are so stridently protective of their cultural autonomy, and resistant to modern State formation. A book that I strongly recommend is The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott that captures the evolution of over 2,000 years of these disparate groups that now reside in Zomia, the mountainous region the size of Europe that consists of portions of seven Asian countries, including India.
The Hindutva approach towards the region is to integrate the place and people to its vision of a civilisational project that is not restricted by the political boundaries of India. There is a contradiction here: on the one hand, Hindutva proponents talk about civilisation and heritage that radiates into east Asia, and in some telling takes the northeast as a centre of this heritage. On the other hand, it is trying to enforce the boundaries drawn by colonial rulers and inherited by the Indian state with unprecedented ferocity.
The campaign against Kuki settlements in the hills being run by the BJP government in Manipur, is informed by this approach. Among the reasons for the current flare-up in the State is this intolerance of population movements across international borders. If you are interested in knowing more about how Hindutva operates in the northeast, I strongly recommend The Greater India Experiment: Hindutva and the Northeast by Arkotong Longkumer. It is a fascinating account of Hindutva politics, with deep access to its network and grounded in thorough theoretical analysis.
I recently read A Resurgent Northeast: Narratives of Change by Ashish Kundra, an IAS officer who has served in the region and brings in a unique perspective. His key argument, as the title suggests, is that India’s approach towards the region was inadequate in the initial decades of the republic, but its relations with the rest of India are changing rapidly. You could read a review of the book here.
Manipur and Tamil Nadu are regionally confined questions, but the call for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will have implications across the country. Though it is often portrayed as a concession to Muslims in Hindutva telling, autonomy in personal laws is very precious for several tribal communities across the country. In Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, tribal bodies are planning to protest against UCC proposal.
Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia of Meghalaya are matrilineal communities that have customary laws that might not be amenable to a UCC. Even the BJP supported Chief Minister (CM) of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma has said UCC is not welcome. The CM had taken a cue from the State’s tribal council.
Unity is strength. But the pursuit of unity will have to be guided by wisdom, maturity, and a sense of history. That is the Big Picture.
Federalism Tract: Notes on Indian Diversity
Though the Big Picture is all about federalism, here are links to some very good pieces that we have published in the last week on debates around it.
The law according to Ravi
The dismissal of a Minister of the Tamil Nadu Government by the Governor of the State without the advice of the Chief Minister is constitutionally wrong. The Governor has no such power, and this piece explains why
United States of India
India has a history of linguistic identities that evolved and existed alongside the national identity, this piece points out.
Redrawing representation in Assam
The delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Assam has led to an increase in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe seats, but Ahoms and Muslims are crying foul that their representation could come down.
Manipur: why Meiteis and Kukis both are feeling hurt
If you are looking for a quick summary of the reasons for the conflict in Manipur, here it is.
Climbing the conflict hill
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is a purveyor of the notion that Muslims are entrapping Hindu women in love affairs. His government is strictly dealing with people who are playing tricks with ‘innocent minor sisters and daughters’, Mr. Dhami says in an exclusive conversation with The Hindu. He is also championing a Uniform Civil Code in the State.
Meanwhile, the handful of Muslims in Uttarakhand’s Purola town were forced to flee following threats of violence and social boycott.
