Great durbar at Hapta Kangjeibung : The bitter and the sweet
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 11, 2012 -
Rahul (Top) at the convention and having tea at a road side hotel on Dec 10 2012 :: Pix - TSE
Long before Microsoft gave a new meaning to the term Windows and apple was just a fruit, closely associated with Newton, the Congress Government at the Centre displayed enormous ingenuity in turning a Circle to a Square by renaming Connaught Circle to Rajiv Square.
Rendering the basics of Geometry to politicalspeak. Imphal, correction, the Congress Government in Manipur, obviously cannot afford to project itself as lagging behind Delhi.
And so it was that an event or a function which should have been a party affair was turned into some sort of a State event when Mr Rahul, the gentleman with the Gandhi surname, landed at Imphal to inaugurate the first convention on local self Government and the 16 flagship programmes of the UPA Government.
All roads seemed to lead to Hapta Kangjeibung, the venue where the Gandhi scion held fort.
Not bad going for the Congress party, but which nevertheless left a bitter taste in the mouth of thousands of commuters and motorists who had to take the route where the great convention was on.
As pointed out earlier in this column, in the first place, members of the local self governing bodies are not elected along party lines.
How then does one explain the rationale of a Congress functionary inaugurating a convention which had to do with devolution of power to the grass root level ?
An issue which ought to have been addressed by the Union Ministers concerned and the unique flavour that the Congress party has given to political dynasty is unmistakable.
Sycophancy cannot get murkier and uglier than this.
Devolution of power to the grass root level while the high and mighty sit inside their ivory towers seems like a tasteless joke and nowhere was this demonstrated better than the orders that were barked out to the commuters and motorists to take a different route while the great durbar was on at Hapta Kangjeibung.
The people do not need this. Did the visit serve the purpose of elucidating on the finer aspects of grass root democracy ?
Time will tell but the basic point is, this is not the way things should be handled.
Perhaps the one positive point that emerged from the visit was the intent of purpose with which Chief Minister O Ibobi made his stand clear on the question of Manipur as a geo-political entity.
The recollection of the stand taken by the late Rajiv Gandhi, when the Mizo Accord was signed with the Mizo National Front could not have come at a better platform.
The late Laldenga had demanded the creation of a Greater Mizoram by incorporating Churachandpur district under the Mizo Accord, but this was turned down by the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi.
That the Chief Minister sought to recollect this particular event at the present juncture is a demonstration of how important timing and platform is.
If at all any comfort is to be taken from the visit of Rahul Gandhi, then the firm stand demonstrated by the Chief Minister will stand there right on top.
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