CM, Hain Nah?
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 17 , 2014 -

CM Okram Ibobi Singh speaking to Times Now

Little knowledge, they say, is a dangerous thing.

To that danger, if you could add the problem of speaking in a language completely foreign to one's own tongue and teeth, then, you have the perfect specimen of an Honourable Chief Minister of a State, which unfortunately happens to be of our own 'jewelled land'.

It is not without reason or justification that Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh has become the target of scathing criticisms, ranging from name calling him as 'dumb fool', 'stupid', 'racist', 'bribe taker', etc, to some of the most cheesiest comments, which one could not even imagine of their possible existence earlier (of course, we would not be reproducing them here because of their cheesiness) from netizens around the world over his recent comment that supposedly downplayed the malice of racial attacks and discriminations that people from Northeast region are facing every waking moment of their life in other parts of the country, more particularly in the National Capital Delhi.

While giving an interview to a news channel (ANI, to be precise), when the reporter asked about his views and measures to be take up in the light of the series of racial attacks that have taken place against people of Northeast origin including the brutal attack that led to the loss of life of Nido Tania, a 19-year old student from Arunachal Pradesh and rape of a minor 14-year old girl from Manipur at Delhi recently, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh came up with one of the most amusing comments saying that it was not a serious crime but some family matter.

In the video clipping of the said interview which went viral in the World Wide Web, our honourable seasoned Congress leader and three-time elected Chief Minister said in his 'flawlessly beautiful English', "...yes, yes, yes, yeah, of course... here and there, a mission commission may took place... beaten and assault....this is not a serious crime... because it may sometimes happen, hain nah? Even within the family also....that also should not be happened...but this is minor girl....this type of things, hain nah?...the rape and all... hain nah?"

At first, it was difficult to even make out what our honourable Chief Minister was trying to say, but in subsequent hearings of the comment over and over again, one can easily point out that our Chief Minister is a confused being who equates racism to some family matter and feels that the crime of assault and rape that are taking place are not serious enough for institution of commission for inquiry as such things could also happen in a family.

And, this is what the netizens, who are mostly students and young professionals hailing from the Northeast region but compel to stay far away from home to seek better education and job, have hated the most, as they are victims of the hate crimes, which anyone living atop the ivory tower could never understand.

Sensing the fury of the public and the possible attack from political rivals, the video clipping of the said interview may have been removed from Youtube.

But that could never change the fact that our honourable Chief Minister has committed a crime more serious than that of the murder and rape of northeast people taking in other parts of the country with his 'dangerously' little knowledge on the issue of racism and the eagerness to articulate in English, on which we would like to say nothing more, hain nah?