Centre's benevolence crucial for development of state
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: December 28, 2021 -

WHETHER the BJP central leaders keep faith in incumbent chief minister N Biren after the 2022 assembly elections or replace him with someone else is unlikely to matter much to the people of Manipur as long as the Union government remains generous and aids in the state's development in the real sense.

Even if the BJP is the most sought-after party ahead of the polls, a report in The Hindu national paper, which this daily also carried, hinting at the party's central leaders mulling to use the Assam formula of not projecting anyone as the chief minister for a possible change of leadership would definitely cause flutter among the rank and file of the organisation.

Till date, there has been no overt show of dissent between CM Biren and minister Biswajit as such the daily's report has the potential to dampen mood among the grassroots workers, who believe that the incumbent chief minister's initiatives of launching and implementing people-oriented schemes are giving the party the edge to dilute rival parties' rhetoric over administrative maladies.

In-spite of the said daily quoting an unnamed senior leader as saying that 'there is a strong undercurrent within the party in Manipur for a change of leadership in view of a few crisis the BJP-led alliance government faced in the state over the last three years,' the ground reality is that the party gained strength numerically whenever there were political fluidity as is evident from the gradual corrosion of its arch rival -the Congress party.

Th Biswajit might be in the good books of the RSS, but at the juncture it is N Biren who is considered as the architect of downfall of Congress, the same party he ditched, became the chief minister and went on to consolidate the position of BJP in the state.

Nevertheless, people of Manipur wouldn't mind whoever holds the rein of power after the polls for the common desire is to join the race of development in reality.

There are varied issues dogging the state that both the central ministers and the BJP leaders would prefer to skirt around when they hit the campaign trail for the upcoming polls and remaining mum on, the chief ministerial candidates will be one.

However, for the commoners announcement of some major projects prior to enforcement of the election model code of conduct and implementation of the same without waiting for the next election would be heartily welcome.

For the state's MLA-aspirants, existing differences of opinions over socio-political aspirations of specific communities would be issues he/she would try to latch on to create further divisions in the society to gain political mileage but central leaders of any political party are unlikely to toe on the same line other than those helming power at the centre announcing developmental projects and the opposition berating the ruling entities and alleging sluggish pace of progression.

Though elections are supposed to be that time when political organisations come up with innovative plans to mitigate hardships besetting the public, the current narratives of campaigning for the assembly election make it clear that the some local politicians are primarily scheming to widen the ethnic chasm, disdaining the commoners' wish for a non-sectarian society to facilitate economic prosperity take centre stage.

Though such inimical attitudes have been causing serious strain in the age-old relationships amongst the native people, incitement had been part and parcel of electoral politics in the state.

Though slanderous bickering and hostility during election times is loathsome, the masses will definitely take it in their stride if leaders of the ruling party demonstrate through words and deeds that better days are really ahead.