Kangleipak Communist Party is a Maoist militant group in
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
, India. Named after
Kangleipak
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
, the ancient name of Manipur, it was initially led by the
communist ideologues — Ibohanbi and Ibopishak.
The Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) had been engaged in an
armed struggle
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
separatist
insurgency in Manipur
The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of Manipur. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India; it combines elemen ...
against the government of India.
Splinter factions
The KCP has now been divided into numerous factions, of which the known are:
#
Kangleipak Communist Party (Marxist-Maoist / Ibungo Ngangom)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Prithvi)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Mangang)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council)
#
Kangleipak Communist Party (Maoist)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Lamphel)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Sunil Meitei)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Mobile Task Force)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Lamyanba Khuman)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Loyallakpa)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (Noyon)
#Kangleipak Communist Party (City Meitei)
Background
This faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party came into existence in the late 2000s following the failure of certain party leaders to commit themselves to Marxism and Maoism. The incumbent chairman of its Politburo Standing Committee (highest decision-making body), Ibungo Ngangom, who used to head the Information and Public Relations Department of the Kangleipak Communist Party, was the main force behind the emergence of this faction, which has now become the most prominent one among the KCP factions. Though it came up as a separate group around 2010, it still sticks to 14 April 1980 as its rising day, because the Kangleipak Communist Party was originally established on this date.
Ideology
The Kangleipak Communist Party under the leadership of Ibungo Ngangom is a group that follows
Marxism
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
and
Maoism
Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. But what makes this group a unique communist party is the fact that its chairman has often spoken about ideological flexibility and adopting the so-called bamboo policy. According to Ibungo Ngangom, communism is a living ideology and nobody must hesitate to 'adjust' in order to make it realistic and successful. He also talked about trying to achieve a higher level of compatibility between
Marxism
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
and
Maoism
Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. The group especially promotes the principle 'from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs'.
Organisational structure
The Kangleipak Communist Party (Marxist-Maoist) under the leadership of Ibungo Ngangom has two main organs: Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), which is a combination of its legislative and judiciary bodies; and General Administrative Council (GAC), which is the executive branch of the group.
Politburo Standing Committee
The Politburo Standing Committee consists of Ibungo Ngangom (Chairman), Amumacha Mangang (Deputy Chairman), Thoiba Meetei (Senior Member), Wangba Angomcha (Senior Member), Angousana Moi-rangcha (Senior Member), James Paomei (Member), Sanatombi Chanu Lourembam (Member), Moramba Meetei (Member),Tomthin Mangang (Member), Sanatomba (Member), Wangthoi (Member). Initially, it was a five-member committee. But it was expanded into an eleven-member committee during its recent bi-annual conference.
General Administrative Council
Following the expansion of the politburo standing committee, the general administrative council of the outfit has also been reshuffled
as Ibungo Ngangom (Secretary-in-Chief, also heading Foreign Affairs Department, Fund-raising Department and Central Intelligence Wing), Amumacha Mangang (Deputy Secretary-in-Chief), Wangba Angomcha (Secretary, Public Affairs Department), Angousana Moirangcha ( Secretary, Finance & Budgetary Affairs Department), Sanatombi Chanu (Secretary, Information & Public Relations Department), James Paomei (previously Secretary, Public Affairs Department, he will now be Central Liaison Officer, Intra- Departmental Liaison Centre), Thoiba Meetei (previously Secretary, Finance & Budgetary Affairs Department, he will now be Auditor-in-Chief, Audit Commission), Sanatomba Khumancha (previously Commander, Bir Tikendrajit Cadre, i.e. Special Contingency Response Wing, he is now Commander, Paona Cadre, i.e. Jungle Guerrilla Warfare Wing), Moramba Meetei (previously Commander, Paona Cadre, i.e. Jungle Guerrilla Warfare Wing, he is now Commander, Thangal Cadre, i.e. Urban Guerrilla Warfare Wing), Tomthin Mangang (previously Commander, Thangal Cadre, i.e. Urban Guerrilla Warfare Wing, he is now Commander, Bir Tikendrajit Cadre, i.e. Special Contingency Response Wing), Wangthoi ( previously Chief Intelligence Officer, Central Intelligence Wing, he is now Secretary, Capitalistic Concerns Regulation and Taxation Cell), announced the outfit.
Legal status
The Kangleipak Communist Party (Marxist-Maoist) is an organization that has been continuously banned under section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by the Government of India for 'waging war' against the Indian State.
Relations with other groups
The Foreign Affairs Department of the group, which is led by none other than its PSC Chairman has been endeavouring to establish contacts and relations with many communist parties throughout the world. The group is also said to have established some links with certain Maoist groups of Nepal, though it has not openly admitted it. Moreover, in a recent press release, the group has expressed its willingness to cooperate and coordinate with the
Communist Party of India (Maoist)
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Marxism–Leninism–Maoism, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist banned Communism, communist political party and militant organization in India which aims to overthrow the "semi-colonial and semi-feudal In ...
.
According to some sources with close links with the group, it has also decided to work together with other anti-India separatist groups of states like Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya.
Ban on the Celebrations of Indian Independence Day and Republic Day in Manipur
The Kangleipak Communist Party (Marxist-Maoist) has "imposed" a so-called "permanent ban" on the celebrations of
Indian Independence Day
Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transf ...
and
Republic Day
Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics.
List
January 1 January in Slovak Republic
The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...
in Manipur. According to this group, Kangleipak was "annexed" by the Union of India under the guise of the Manipur Merger Agreement, which was signed by the then King of Kangleipak, who no longer had any authority to ink such an agreement as Kangleipak was already a democratic society under the command of an elected body of legislators. So it has been struggling to "reclaim" the "robbed sovereignty" of Kangleipak (Manipur).
Kangleipak Communist Party (Maoist)
In 2009, numerous comrades of the KCP coalesced and organised a convention, and reconstructed the party's
Central Committee
Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...
. Forthwithly after the plenum, they named the faction as "Kangleipak Communist Party (Maoist)," which has now evolved into the
Maoist Communist Party of Manipur
The Maoist Communist Party of Manipur is a Maoist political party in Manipur which aims "to establish a communist society through armed revolutionary war." The Maoist Communist Party of Manipur also intends at liberating the people of Manipur ...
. However, the Kangleipak Communist Party led by Ibungo Ngangom has emerged as the leading group at least in terms of ideological positions and changes brought about within the group following his release from prison on 4 April 2015 after spending about 12 consecutive years in various prisons in India, including Tihar Jail. According to recent press releases of this group, led by Ibungo Ngangom, the group's primary goal is not only to liberate Kangleipak (Manipur) but also establish communism in Kangleipak through the scientific socialism of Karl Marx.
This makes this group a unique communist party of Manipur.
See also
*
Insurgency in Northeast India
The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple armed separatist factions operating in some of India's northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as wide.
Northeast ...
*
People's Liberation Army of Manipur
The People's Liberation Army of Manipur, often shortened to just People's Liberation Army (PLA-MP or PLAM), founded by N. Bisheshwar Singh on 25 September 1978, is a separatist armed terrorist group fighting for a separate independent socialist ...
References
{{Terror outfits
Banned communist parties
Communist militant groups
Communist terrorism
Communist parties in India
Political parties in Manipur
Insurgency in Northeast India
Left-wing militant groups in India
National liberation movements
Organisations designated as terrorist by India
Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist
Political parties established in 1980
1980 establishments in Manipur
Separatism in India
Secessionist organizations in Asia
Maoist organisations in India