Abstract: The politics of ethnic conflict engulfed the discourse of global politics which has been threatening the existence of humankind in general and particularly the helpless ethnic minority. India’s Northeastern Region is no exception to the viral politics of ethnic conflict. In the case of Manipur, the ethnic diversities invariably put the state into a battle ground for asserting identity politics. The state has been construed by various scholars as a weak state portraying every characteristic of failed state. The politics which is deeply rooted with emotion attached to land ownership. This discussion would primarily bring about understanding of the ongoing ethnic conflict dynamic in Manipur. Accordingly, it discusses the issues over resources, development, politics of representation, questions of indigeneity, competitive ethnic assertion based on sovereignty over land and the immediate trigger point of such ethnic animosity clouding the state. The discussion would rather rationalize the violent conflict happening in Manipur taking upon the above points than portraying the intensity of violence and inhuman acts in the state.
About the speaker: David Jangminlien is a PhD Scholar at NIAS. Before inducting as a doctoral student at the institute, he completed Master of Arts in Political Science at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Madhya Pradesh and a Bachelor of Arts at Don Bosco College Maram, Manipur. He was listed in the Prime Minister Box 2020 as Prime Minister’s Guest to witness the Republic Day Parade 2020 at Rajpath, New Delhi. He has a keen interest in conflict management in a multi-ethnic society.