Different avatars of Rishang Keishing : Voice of sanity amid insanity
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 29 2015 -
Rishang Keishing :: Pix - TSE
Former Chief Minister. Former Rajya Sabha MP from Manipur.
The longest serving Chief Minister of the State before present Chief Minister O Ibobi broke that record.
The only Opposition member in the House of 60, days before President’s Rule was imposed in the State in 2001, Rishang Keishing is this and much, much more.
In the twilight of his years now, the veteran from Phungyar Assembly Constituency of Ukhrul district, Rishang Keishing has demonstrated that he is still a man to be reckoned with.
This is precisely the reason why his call for a dialogue to settle the present issue in the hill districts of Manipur gains credence.
More than likely that his appeal will fall on deaf ears, if one goes by the intensity of the present agitation in the hill districts, particularly Churachandpur, but in issuing that clarion call, Rishang Keishing has again shown that he is still a man who thinks before he opens his mouth.
A quality which cannot be ascribed to many who are at the forefront, whether in the valley or the hills.
It was also perfectly in line with his concern for the people and the place, that he urged the State Government to find a way to bring peace and restore normalcy.
Not an easy task, but this is not the time for one upmanship and certainly not the time to show who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
Everyone will have an opinion on the present issue and it is best that a middle path is worked out to arrive at an understanding.
There are reasons why the sage words of the elderly are given so much importance and it is only right that the people and the State Government too take Rishang’s words of wisdom with the importance they deserve.
For too long, Manipur has been giving too much importance to trouble makers and venom spewing individuals, whose only claim to fame is to wrack up passion and pit the people against one another.
This is what has been happening to Manipur for major parts of 2015.
Differences with the Government is acceptable, but there must be ways to settle these differences and as the former Chief Minister said, the best option is dialogue.
Street protests, bandhs, hartals, confrontations with police etc are at best pressures mounted on the Government to talk things over.
Manipur is certainly going through these stages and it is only right that all outstanding issues are sought to be settled through meaningful dialogues.
Sit down and discuss things and see how an agreement can be worked out. First the valley and now the hills.
And from a movement aimed at restricting the flow of non-local people into the soil of Manipur, today it has metamorphosed to a situation where there is just no trust between the communities.
How did things come to such a pass ?
Not at all healthy for society and certainly not for the young children who will one day be the torch bearers of society.
Manipur is fortunate that there is still someone like Rishang Keishing, who is committed to the welfare of the land and the people.
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