Ethnicity is the underlying cause which poses a great challenge in the resolution of the problems in the North-East region of India. Comment.(UPSC CSE Mains 2022 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)
Northeast India is home to more than 50 ethnic rebel groups – a few demanding complete secessions from India, others fighting for ethnic identities and homelands and some running the insurgency as an industry to spin easy money without any political ideology.
Major ethnic conflicts in northeast
- Assam - The call for a separate state by Bodos led to violence by NDFB(S). In Assam conflict exists between indigenous Assamese and Bengali speaking Muslim immigrants which has led to NRC. Minor Karbi-Kuki clashes also exist.
- Nagaland - Insurgency started in the 1950s over sovereign Nagaland. India recognised a Naga state within the federal framework, but issues of Greater Nagalim comprising areas of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and some portions of Myanmar remain.
- Manipur - Kukis, Meiteis, and Nagas are at loggerheads over the political future of Manipur.
- Mizoram- Ethnic tensions exist between the Mizos and Chakma communities. Also, conflict between Mizos and Brus has led to Bru refugees in Tripura.
- Tripura - Conflict between indigenous tribes and Bengali migrants
- Arunachal Pradesh - Between Chakma community and local tribes
Ethnicity as a challenge: Challenges posed due to ethnicity in the north eastern region include the ostracization of the Bru community, Naga vs Meity, Kuki conflict, the age-old Naga insurgency, . Ethnic conflicts in north eastern India are analysed through two approaches
- Modernisation/ developmental/ nation building approach: Ethnic conflicts have risen because the new rising middle class has come in conflict with the traditional leadership. The scholars representing this school of thought are S.K.Chaube, B. P Singh and Myron Weimer.
- Federation building approach: this school of thought says that problems arose because national leadership ignored the periphery and the smaller leadership. The scholars representing this school of thought are Sanjib Baruah and Sajal Nag.
Other factors aggravating the challenge are:
- Availability of arms due to the presence of porous borders
- Economic grievances- oil is a major issue of conflict in Nagaland, since the region sits on the multibillion-dollar oil reserve
However, the situation in recent years is alarming. Kidnappings, murders, extortions and ethnic violence have become everyday incidents in the state. It is argued that such incidents of insurgency, human rights abuses by government security forces and insurgents, ethnic violence, and a steady decline of the economy are largely the outcome of the strong centralizing tendency of the Indian federation. It is also argued that the Bodo demand for the separate state of Bodoland is not quite reasonable. There are many hurdles that stand in the way of realization of this demand. Small population, absence of geographical contiguity and the opposition of Assamese sub-nationalism to further divide the state will be the strongest obstacles towards the creation of Bodoland as an independent state. However, a more decentralized federal structure may help to manage and solve such sub-national conflicts in a more efficient way
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