“Lumpen elements present in the society, such as drug dealers, thieves, gang members, hustlers, etc., prey on each other in order to survive. Besides, their physical selves are completely disconnected from their spiritual selves. Their primary motivation is predatory behavior”, says KYKL chairman N Oken.
TFM Desk
Proscribed Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) chairman N Oken on Thursday stated that Kanglei people are severely “lumpenized” and Delhi has no interest in increasing Kangleipak’s productivity but wants to shrink its economic base. He said this in a message delivered on the occasion of the 19th Raising Day of the outfit’s armed wing Miyamgi Yawol Lanmi (MYL).
According to a statement issued by A Yaiphaba, secretary, publicity and research,the KYKL chairman highlighted how the Kanglei people have been lumpenized by “Indian colonialism and have lost their revolutionary potential as a result”. Giving an economic explanation as to why the Kanglei revolutionary movement is heading south after more than sixty years of its existence, N Oken pointed out that Delhi “has no interest in increasing Kangleipak’s productivity. Rather, it wants to shrink Kanglei economic base….It is because of this that all our traditional skills have been stripped from our hands. Hence, every Kangleicha must ask why India treats us this way”.
The chairman made an effort to use captive-market theory to explain the colonial process in a concise manner. This theory argues that India seeks to make the state a captive market for the sale of its commodities. However, he said that while the captive-market theory partially explains the phenomenon, further study is needed in order to fully understand “why India wants to keep Kanglei productive forces underdeveloped and how this is related to the deterioration in its people’s consciousness, which makes it virtually impossible for the people to ignite a revolution in the state”.
On the basis of the state’s existing economic status and its development since it was annexed, N Oken said that India never intended Kangleipak to acquire substantial productive forces. He also argued that by making the people of Kangleipak totally reliant on Delhi’s economic handouts, India has attempted to maintain the status quo of its colonial dominance in the state.
“Lupmenization of Kanglei people is one of the most dangerous consequences of suppressing our productive forces by Indian colonial rulers…..the dehumanization of Kanglei people through Indian colonial economic policy is closely connected to drug menace, corruption, criminal activity, and youth immorality. He warned that the two phenomena could not be viewed separately”, said the chairman as per the statement issued by KYKL.
According to N Oken, the majority of Kanglei people are severely “lumpenized, decomposing, and dehumanized. In addition, the wealth gap has grown significantly in society. Some people become quite wealthy, while others remain in abject poverty. More concerning is the fact that both groups of people utilize predatory methods to earn money. These groups of people are very dangerous for the revolutionary movement. No matter how it affects society, they will do whatever is necessary to further their objectives. They will never be able to grasp the reality of their situation because of their regressive consciousness. As a result, even they will not think to try to change the social circumstances that dehumanize them”.
Therefore, “lumpenization is India’s colonial effort to form reactionary elements within Kanglei society. Delhi believes that by
doing this, the Kanglei revolutionary movement will collapse owing to the reactionary element within it without much effort on Delhi’s part”, N Oken said in his message.
The chairman identified two socioeconomic classes in society, the lumpen proletariat and lumpen bourgeoise, after analysing the society. He continued stating that both classes were social classes and would oppose the Kanglei revolution. “The two socioeconomic strata, he said, were the offspring of the Indian colonial economy imposed in Kangleipak, where Delhi prohibited Kangleipak’s own productive forces from growing, keeping the population reliant on Indian dole payments”, he said.
The chairman pointed out that the “lumpen elements present in the society, such as small-time drug dealers, thieves, gang members, hustlers, etc., prey on each other in order to survive. Besides, their physical selves are completely disconnected from their spiritual selves. Their primary motivation is predatory behavior. These are the people who would rather play sycophancy to wealthy and powerful people rather than start a revolution. They make money only through crime.”
About the lumpen bourgeois, the N Oken said, “They are the ones who have amassed wealth through criminal activity. They include corrupt contractors, drug lords, and dishonest bureaucrats. Their illicit wealth will eventually allow them to rise to power. Many of these individuals currently have seats in the Manipur state assembly.”
Now that lumpenisation has “penetrated so deeply, Kangleichas have forgotten that they belong to an oppressed group of people. Therefore, most of them do not feel the need to launch a revolutionary movement in Kanglei society, he argued.
Dwelling on steps to be taken, N Oken stressed on the importance of equipping people with “revolutionary consciousness if we are to create a new society:. He also pointed out that there are efforts made to lumpenize the Kanglei people so that they lack “the consciousness to initiate a revolution”. “This reality led the chairman to argue that our only chance of fighting colonialism lies in mass proletarianization. By doing this, he argues, we could persuade the lumpen bourgeoisie and proletariat to become revolutionaries. This would also enable us to broaden the social base of the Kanglei revolution”, he said.
Concluding his speech, he called on Kanglei revolutionary organizations to unite into a single body, unitary in spirit and ideology. Only by doing this will we be able to resist Indian colonialism and build the Kanglei society that we all aspire, he exhorted according to the statement issued by the proscribed KYKL.
The Raising Day of Miyamgi Yawol Lanmi (MYL) is being observed every year as “Lanmee gi Numit.” As in previous years, the day was observed at the organization’s CHQ, battalions as well as at its units and sections located within and outside
Kangleipak. Central Headquarters (CHQ) hosted the primary event of the day, which was attended by several of the organization’s key leaders. The event featured the hoisting of the party flag, floral tributes to revolutionary cadres who sacrificed their lives for the cause of national liberation movement, followed by the speech of the party chairman.