CM nearly pays the price for mob frenzy
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 01, 2023 -
Wing solution to any of the varied problems, which is acceptable to the communities in conflict in a deeply polarised society like ours, would be a difficult task, if not altogether impossible.
For the past many decades, whenever any sensitive issue crops up whoever is helming the affair of the state faces tremendous pressure, which is precisely the reason why various problems remain unsolved till date.
As such after over five years of smooth administration and enjoying mass support and overwhelming goodwill of the political class, incumbent chief minister N Biren is now one of the most hated persons in Manipur, at-leastto the Kuki tribes and few of his political detractors.
With the government under tremendous strain amid the violence in the state, the ruling BjP expectedly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s two-day visit to the state asthe saffron party fears that presence of such a high profile personality would kindle interest among the national media fraternity and expose the turmoil that Manipur is passing through.
The visit is already creating a buzz due to the mob frenzy in Imphal as a fallout of the Senjam Chirang gunfight and following the unruly scene that unfolded in Bishnupur district when the Gandhi scion’s convoy was prohibited from proceeding to Churachandpur district, which is one of the epicentres of the on-going ethnic violence.
Apart from the police preventing movement of the convoy at Bishnupur citing law and order issue, which sparked heated exchange of words between the Congress delegation and the district administration, two groups of people sparred over allowing and prohibiting the visit, consequently forcing the former Congress president to return to Imphal airport to board the helicopter en-route to Churachandpur district.
Regardless of the police contending that the road trip was not advisable due to possibility of unwanted incidents, Rahul Gandhi’s safety could have been ensured with adequate deployment of security forces as the voice of dissent against his visit raised by handful of civil society organisations, including few hitherto unheard of, was generally words of caution not to vitiate the situation.
Moreover, it’s obvious that as those who backed his peace mission and the decision to travel by road wouldn’t have created any problem, the district administration could have conveniently averted any commotion had the handful of politically motivated women protestors been pacified not to cause any obstruction.
However, the Congress leader, who was on a two-day visit to assess ground reality of the violence-hit state from Thursday, had to come back to the Imphal airport and take a state government-provided chopper to visit Churachandpur, subsequently raising posers on whether the prohibition imposed was to cover up failure of both governments in the state and at the centre to contain the unrest situation.
As told to the media by former chief minister Okram Ibobi, Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet violence-affected people and enquire about their hardships and suffering only for such a humanitarian gesture to be abruptly halted in Bishnupur district.
It is also hard to digest that the district police fired tear gas to disperse local women who were clearing the way for Rahul Gandhi rather than cracking down on those who tried to obstruct his journey.
With Rahul Gandhi continuing his journey, it is likely that leaders of more opposition party would be eager to get a first-hand account of the happening in this landlocked state as many are certain to suspect biasness in media reports with regard to genesis of the ethnic violence.
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