Problematic resolution: The Hindu Editorial on the EU Parliament and Manipur

In an interconnected world, a government that seeks greater economic integration and promotes itself as the representative of a nation committed to democratic, liberal and plural values and the rule of law, cannot dismiss scrutiny by like-minded nations with which beneficial ties are sought. India’s dismissal of the EU Parliament’s resolution on the violence in Manipur as reflecting a colonial mindset and tantamount to interference in internal affairs, was therefore predictably petulant and in line with similar reactions to scrutiny by lawmakers in the United States, for instance. Just as Indian politicians have the right to express their concerns with issues such as attacks on Hindu temples in Australia or racial prejudice in the U.S. or anti-immigrant violence and government response in Europe, their counterparts in the EU Parliament are well within the realms of propriety in questioning actions in Manipur. Yet, the EU Parliament resolution and the legislators’ framing of the problem in Manipur include an erroneous understanding of the conflict having a religious basis and a pitting of Hindus versus Christians. The Naga community, also predominantly Christian by denomination, and its representatives were also aggrieved by the decision but the ethnic violence has been limited to actions by militants belonging to the Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities and exacerbated by an ethnic polarisation that reconciliatory efforts by civil society have still to undo.