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POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN MANIPUR 1919-1949 iiBSTRACT OF THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN Political Science BY S. M. A. W. CHISHTI Under the Supervision of Professor S. A. H. HAQOI Head of the Department of Political Science FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH X&7B POLITICHL DEVELOPFtEM IN PlrtNlPUR, 1919-1949 The study deals with the political and constitutional deuelopments in the erstwhile princely State of C'lanipur from 1919 till its merger uith India in 1949. Bordered with Burma, she occupies one of the strategically situated states in the north-eastern region. In the uake of the political upheaval of 1891, Planipur lost her identity and became a protectorate of the British Government of India. Since the Flanipuri uprising of 1891 against the British Government, the^Kuki insurgency during 1917-19 uas the most significant political occurring dui-ing the entire period of the British rule in Manipur. The Kukis, one of the most powerful tribes of Fianipur, revolted against foreign domination. The administration uas very much upset by the disturbances in the hills. The Government felt considerably annoyed with frequent troubles which often resulted in losses of life and property. The Government could, however, bring the situation under control only in 1919, The experience of the Kuki rebellion made the British Government realise the inadequacy of the rules which wore framed for the administration cf flanipur State in 191G, The unrest among the Kacha Magas and the Kabul riagas of the north-uest of Manipur during the early l93CJs uas a turning point In the political hlctory of tribal rianlpur. Thlc pseudo-religious movement soon assumed political overtones and had its adherents even long after It had been suppressed. The political aims of the movement were the subjugation of the Kukis, the suppression of the Fieiteis, the overthrow of the British Government, and, lastly, the establishment of the 'Naga Raj'. Thirdly, the question of Fanipur's accession to the proposed all-India federation under the Government of India Act, 1935, became a major political controversy and uas hotly debated in the State. The ruler of the State uas of the vieu that the Government of India should leave intact some of the absolute princely rights, uhich demand made the British apprehend that the ruler uas setting forth conditions of all sorts and using delaying tactics to keep auay from the envisioned federation. The Government of India did not sec any reason in meeting all the demands and the reservations put forth by the ruler. However, uith the outbreak of the Second World Uar in September 1939 the question of the federation was relegated to the background, l^anipur's accession to Inaia u/as not taken up before India became independent. fourthly, the food agitation of 1939, caused by exorbitant rise in the price of rice uhich made the lives of the poor especially the uomenfclk almost impossible had an important role to pJay in the political auakening of the peopleo A local party, :jikhil Hanipuri nahasabha, had aroused and stirred up the feelings and sentiments of the women agitators, uho also received encouragement from the Indian National Congress, Had not the price of paddy come doun as a result of the women's mass agitation, a sort of a general revolt would have taken place. The British authorities were forced to concede certain social and economic reforms. Fifthly, the idea of establishing an integrated north-eastern India Frontier province consisting of parts of Fanipur* Assam, was a brain~child of the frustrated Bengali elites, uho were allegedly discriminated against and suppressed by the local Assamesp majority in the hcteroreneous province of AGcari'o The lengalis quusticned the majority of the A?^.ampGe in Assam in vieu of the fact thrit thoy uere only about tuo and half millions, whereas the other croups had a population of about six million of the whole Assamese population. The 'Purbachal' movement failed to catch public attention and died in infancy bpcause of its colonialist antecedents. The covern- ment too did not pay any hped to it as it was simply out of tune with the fastly char^nr political enuironment. Sixthly, 1946 would be recorded in the political history of Fanipur as the year of full political awakening among the people. The people felt tired of the authoritarian dynastic rule and openly demanded the end of autocracy and introduction of responsible government. The issue of the constitutional reform split tne local Congress into two groups. The institution of an Interim Council and the 'Rules for tne adminir-tration of f-ianinur' did not meet the demand of the dissident Congressmen for full democracy and eventually led to the launching of the first satyagraha in the State against the Plaharaja. The satyagraha succeodpri in clinching from the rulrr a promise to establish a responsible novernnont. Finally, the question of the merger of Flanipur uith the Indian Union becamo the principal political issue and the public opinion uas sharply divided over it. uhen the British announced their intention to transfer pouer to the Indians, some selfish and ambitious leaders sau an opportunity to reap a rich harvest by creating political upheaval in the State. A section of people preferred rather the creation of a composite north­ east India frontier province comprised of Tlanipur, Tripura, Cachar and Lushai Hills; the another section desired the integration of Alanipur uith Assam; some leaders advocated the idea of creation an independent Manipur. In the meantime» the Communist Party of Nanipur uas carrying out subversive activities along the flanipur-Ourma border. Besides, the Nagas demanded tho amalgamation of all the r.'aga inhabited hill areas in the eastern region uith a vieu to form a separate Xaga state. They claimed that the Nagas uere never Indians and the Naya Hills had never been a part of the Indian territory and independence uas an inalienable right of the Naga people. On the other hand, the Maharaja of rianipur was nut in favour of Hanipur's merger uith the Indian Union, he rather wished to -be grouped uith Sikkim and Khasi states. Being auare of the political problems of the nortn-eastern region, the Indian leaders uere afraid that the Assam province might possibly dci/elop fissiparous tendencies. Therefore, the need for an immediate Central take-over of Fianipur's administration uas emphasized. Thus, uith the merger of Planipur into the Indian Union, a neu chapter u/as opened ending the age-long dynastic rule in Planipur. Today, Manipur is one of the full-fledged states of the Indian Union having an equal status uith the other states. Since then the process of democratisation of administration has been going on; and people are very much involved in politics. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN MANIPUR I919-I949 THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD^OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN Political Science S. M. A. W. CHISHTI Under the Supervision of Professor S. A. H. HAQQI Head of the Department of Political Science FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH 1979 2 5 m 19«0 T1951 CHECICB^ ACKNOULEDGEriEKTS I am profoundly grateful to my supervisor, Professor S.A.H. Haqqi , Head of the Departncnt of Political Science, Aligarh Pluslim University, for his constant help, guidance and unfailing encouragement to me in the course of my research uork, Uithout his consistent concern with the progress of tne uork it uould not have been possible for me to complete it. I shall forever remember his kind support to me and his large-hearted patience against my encroachment upon his precious time. • • •• - . I am really indebted to .the staff of the National Archives of India, the Nehru Plemorial Library and Fluseum, the National Library, Calcutta, and the Maulana Azad Library, Aligarh, for their invaluable help. I am beholden to the teaching and non-teaching staff of the Department of Political Science for their encouragement. The University Grants Commission's support is most sincerely acknowledged. The Junior research fellowship that the Commission awarded to me made it possible for me to devote four years and six months to this research work. Last but not the least, I am all praise for hv M.A. Khan Afridi of the Department of History for his meticulous typing of the manuscript. S.f-l.A.U. CHIShTI PREFACE The thesis deals uith the political and constitutional developments in the erstuhile princely State of rianipur from 1919 till its merger uith India in 1949. Based on an intensive analysis of the available source-materials and intervieus uith the surviv/ing members of the pouer-elite of the era under study, it constitutes, perhaps, the first systematic, objective and critical analysis of the political history of nanipur as uell as the genesis, grouth and rise of the democratic movement in the region. Apart from unpublished documents, such as the files of the Foreign and Political Department, I have considerably relied on some of the available published material such as various pamphlets and reports published by the Flanipur State Congresso But I have been handicapped in my research by lack of access to certain important Government of India files on deposit with the National Archives of India, and certain files of the All-India Congress Committee on deposit uith the Nehru Memorial Library and f'luseum at IMeu Delhi. The concerned authorities did not allou me to consult such documents uhich related to post-1945 events. IV The method of analysis is the 'old-fashioned' historical descriptive, as there uas no other uay for me to present my material and analysis in a coherent manner.

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