What can Manipur expect? : Titular King in the race for RS
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 18 2020 -

The question of bigger import is what can Manipur expect from Leishemba Sanajaoba once he enters Rajya Sabha.

This is a question which is dear to The Sangai Express and needs to be raised at this juncture.

As an individual the titular King has every right to follow his heart, but this still does not answer what Manipur should expect from the titular King as their representative.

A number of civil society organisations have spoken out their minds, terming the decision of the titular King as something of a sell out and accepting the Merger Agreement.

Different opinions there will be and while the BJP has gone ahead and welcomed the decision of the titular King to contest the election to the Rajya Sabha, this still does not answer the question of what the intending MP can and should do for Manipur once he is sent to the Upper House of Parliament.

To the BJP, the decision to name Leishemba Sanajaoba as its nominee for the Rajya Sabha will be seen as a smooth political move and why not ?

Baptise the titular King as a BJP man and this should work perfectly well with the broader agenda of the saffron party to spread its wing wider in Manipur.

Not that Leishemba Sanajaoba will be the first from the royal family to take a plunge in politics and the BJP is certainly not the first political party to open its doors to the royals.

The Scindias is an example that comes to mind and closer home there is Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma from the royal family of Tripura.

March 26 is the date for the election to the Rajya Sabha and given the arithmetic in the Assembly, Leishemba Sanajaoba should not confront any problem in making his way to the Rajya Sabha.

It is however worth questioning why the State BJP failed to throw its net wider.

There are certainly many other well deserving personalities who could have done a good job in representing Manipur in the Upper House of Parliament.

Why the BJP could not look beyond the titular King is a question which only the BJP can answer but it is important to remember that as a political party its first priority should be the people of Manipur and certainly the BJP would want its nominee in Parliament to deliver.

This is not to say that Leishemba Sanajaoba is not competent, but there certainly will be others who have made a name for themselves in their chosen fields and certainly Manipur can expect something from such personalities.

In naming the titular King as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha, the BJP may have delivered a strong political statement, but this still not answer the question of what Manipur can expect from him.

This is the unfortunate part.