In Manipur, campaign void in buffer zone Kwakta as parties find quieter ways to make inroads

This Id-ul-Fitr has been significantly different for the largely Muslim residents of Kwakta in Manipur - a small town

This Id-ul-Fitr has been significantly different for the largely Muslim residents of Kwakta in Manipur - a small town bang in the middle of the buffer zone created by security forces to keep the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo communities from fighting each other. In addition to being the first Id-ul-Fitr they are celebrating since the conflict began on May 3 last year, it also falls just ahead of the Lok Sabha election this month.

While it has always been an annual ritual and more so in election years for politicians from across party lines to visit the town and exchange greetings, this Eid has been eerily quiet in Kwakta, residents said. With anger rising in the town over the BJP governments’ handling of the conflict and their failure to protect Kwakta’s interests, the Congress has made the first move to reach out to these voters, forcing the BJP to now play a careful game of catch-up using its ally, the National People’s Party. 

“Usually during an election year, there would be a beeline of politicians from across party lines waiting to send food items for Iftar gatherings during Ramadan. They would come in with their convoys to attend the Eid prayers and exchange greetings. We’ve seen none of that so far,” 42-year-old Haisat Ali tells The Hindu as he sets up the display rack at his Al-Taufeeq Hotel in Kwakta Bazar. 

Haisat Ali, like most residents of the town, is a Meitei Muslim - people who are also known as Meitei Pangals in Manipur. This small community of Muslims, who constitute around 8% of the State’s population, have been caught in the middle of the conflict since it began, both literally and figuratively. 

And as election campaigning heats up all over Inner Manipur, Kwakta, on its edges, is an exception. There are no signs of campaign posters on shop shutters or doors of homes and residents are more concerned about the violence resuming after the election than the contest itself. 

Throughout the conflict, the Meitei Pangals on Kwakta have been facing the brunt of blockades from both communities. Several instances of fighting between the two communities have often reached the town, which has also seen a few instances of Central Security Forces clash with Manipur Police. 

“Our own supply chains have been hit. Each community suspects us of helping the other community out. As a result, everything has become expensive here,” Mr. Ali explained, asking what their fault in all of this was. “As for the election, all we are thinking about is who can help bring an end to this.”