The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA is an extraordinary power instituted in 1958 by the Parliament of India, which grants special powers to the Indian armed forces to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. This act has been the subject of significant contention ever since its inception on the grounds of being undemocratic and unjust. The political landscape of Manipur has been dramatically affected as it is one of the states that comes under this provision.
Latest developments around AFSPA in Manipur
The sentiment around AFSPA ahead of the assembly elections, scheduled for February 27, is such that PM Narendra Modi and former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru are being put in the same bracket in the Naga-inhabited hills of Manipur. The repeal of AFPSA, an act that gives the armed forces the right to kill, has been a significant demand and hence a political issue.
The political party Naga People’s Front (NPF) has begun its campaigning primarily centred around this issue. The party launched its campaign with a rally on February 16, where they discussed it and promised to find a solution for the same if elected to power in the state. The NPF will contest from 10 of Manipur’s 60 assembly seats, in which Nagas are in significant numbers.
Ruffling Feathers
Senior party members have said that they are committed to ensuring the withdrawal of the act from the state of Manipur. According to the party, both Congress and the BJP are not doing enough to make amends to this act. Despite being an ally of the BJP, the NPF did not go for a pre-poll pact for this reason.
“The AFSPA was introduced in 1958 when Nehru was the Prime Minister. The law was made to crush the Naga people. When Modi took over as Prime Minister in 2014, he promised to settle the Naga political issue in 18 months,” The Hindu quoted NPF working president Huskha Yepthomi as saying. However, he went on to call Modi a big liar who has made promises with no work concerning them.
The law might remain
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said that even if the AFSPA issue is not resolved, it is up to the people of Manipur to maintain law and order in the state. On his party’s position, he said that it wants AFSPA removed except for the international and hard interstate borders. “We can achieve this, but if insurgency continues, the AFSPA may remain,” Rio said.
Rio is the leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). The BJP is also a minor partner of the United Democratic Alliance government. “I am grateful to NPF for inviting me to launch its election campaign. Both NDPP and NPF are allies of the BJP and members of the National Democratic Alliance, but there should be no restriction to come and campaign for the NPF in Manipur,” he said.
The NPF, which won four seats in the 2017 polls, seems determined to solve the insurgency and, by extension, the AFSPA problem.
