How Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh lies about and politicises Manipur's ILP

Ningombam Bupenda Meitei *

Chief Minister O Ibobi / Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh :: Pix - TSE

Union Home Minister of India, who is also a member of BJP, has only met his own party members without involving any other member of any other political party in New Delhi. Without Union Home Ministry's official statement on the outcome or what discussions, or minutes of the meeting, took place in the said meeting, when BJP Manipur team met with Union Home Minister, it clearly exposes that Union Home Minister has not said anything in favour of the Manipur's 3 bills and implementation of ILP (Inner Line Permit) in Manipur.

The absence of Union Home Ministry's official statement on whether the state Chief Minister of Manipur has taken a prior appointment or not, or whether the status of Manipur's 3 bills is already discussed, deliberated and provisionally finalised or not is a matter of serious concern, because if Union Home Ministry cannot, through Press Information Bureau, publish or release its own official statement on the status of Manipur's 3 bills or issues pertaining to them, then Union Home Minister meeting with BJP members of Manipur will be as good as having an informal conversation between BJP leaders in New Delhi and BJP leaders from Manipur, thereby making the discussion merely a party-based informal talk over a cup of tea. Such informal conversation, wherein BJP Manipur statements are portrayed as the official statements of Union Home Minister and Union Home Ministry, is not a serious business of Narendra Modi government, and such non-seriousness of Modi sarkar towards the people of Manipur and its genuine demands for ILP in Manipur is quite evident in the psyche and consciousness of the Manipur people in 21st century.

How the Union Home Minister politicises Manipur's ILP

In Zee News India, dated 6th June, 2016, "Rajnath unhappy over Manipur anti-migrant bills being 'politicised'", it states that: "Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his unhappiness over the way the issue of anti-migrant bills of Manipur, awaiting presidential assent, is being "politicised"."

In "BJP team lays down case before Rajnath Singh", The Sangai Express (English Edition), dated 6th June, 2016, it states that: "The BJP team urged the Union Home Minister to give an appointment to the all party delegation from Manipur as soon as possible…Rajnath Singh stated that he is ever ready to meet the all party delegation. Rajnath stated he was deeply concerned with the prevailing situation in Manipur. After giving a patient hearing, Rajnath suggested about exploring the best possible solution together with the all party delegation…On being informed that the Chief Minister has resolved not to go back to Manipur without holding a meeting with the Prime Minister on the issue, Rajnath pointed out that as per a schedule fixed earlier, the Prime Minister is currently on a tour of foreign countries for six/seven days. Rajnath went on to ask, "Is the Chief Minister not expected to know the Prime Minister's schedule if he was determined to meet the Prime Minister?" The Chief Minister was politicising the three Bills, Rajnath added…"

Instead of converting the Manipur's 3 bills into act and implement ILP in Manipur, "Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has suggested about exploring the best possible solution together with the all party delegation". What is the best possible solution, according to Union Home Minister? Is the best possible solution the implementation of ILP in Manipur or otherwise? Why did the Home Minister suggest about another alternative to ILP in Manipur? Is Union Home Minister trying to further politicise, using divide and rule politics over Manipur, by his suggestion of "exploring" the best possible solution together? What is there to explore for the best possible solution other than ILP in Manipur? If the Home Minister, after 9 months of unanimously passing the Manipur's 3 bills by Manipur Assembly, still thinks in June 2016 for an exploration of another best possible solution together, then what is the Home Minister trying to suggest, by his suggestion? Does it also not expose that Union Home Ministry, led by Union Home Minister, has not given any serious thought and deliberation to the Manipur's 3 bills in the last 9 months in New Delhi? Does not it also expose that Modi government is, for the last 9 months, not at all interested in ILP in Manipur?

A statement exists in a newspaper stating that "Rajnath stated he was deeply concerned with the prevailing situation in Manipur." If Union Home Minister was so deeply concerned with the prevailing situation in Manipur, then why did not he ever visit either Imphal or Churachandpur in the last 9 months of the passing of the Manipur's 3 bills to assess the ground realities on the issues pertaining to ILP in Manipur? If he was so deeply concerned, then why did not either he or his Union Home Ministry release an official statement stating the present status of the Manipur's 3 bills which are in New Delhi for the last 9 months? Does not the silence of Union Home Ministry under Rajnath Singh, which has not yet stated anything officially on Manipur's 3 bills in Manipur, in the last 9 months amount to justify the self contradiction in the statement of Rajnath Singh's "deeply concerned with the prevailing situation in Manipur"? What is "the prevailing situation", according to the Union Home Minister, which is so deeply concerned with by not giving any official statement on Manipur's 3 bills in the last 9 months?

"The BJP team urged the Union Home Minister to give an appointment to the all party delegation from Manipur as soon as possible…Rajnath Singh stated that he is ever ready to meet the all party delegation."

The question is: If Rajnath Singh is ever ready to meet the all political parties delegation, then why did not he meet the all political parties delegation, in its foremost meeting, together instead of separately giving time first to his own party members from Manipur? Are the leaders of other political parties in Manipur unable to get the appointment on their own, without the help and initiative of BJP Manipur team, to meet the Union Home Minister? Why does it appear so explicitly that only BJP team could urge proactively to get any appointment to call on the Union Home Minister? Should the all political parties delegation meet the Union Home Minister through an appointment sought by the BJP team on behalf of the delegation or by the delegation on its own?

"Rajnath went on to ask, "Is the Chief Minister not expected to know the Prime Minister's schedule if he was determined to meet the Prime Minister?"

The question which can be put to Rajnath Singh is, "Is the Union Home Minister of India not expected to know and publicly and officially declare the status of the Manipur's 3 bills which are kept pending and lying in New Delhi in Modi government for the last 9 months?"

How the Union Home Minister lies about Manipur's ILP

In "CM never sought appointment with Home Minister", Imphal Free Press, dated 6th June, 2016, it states that: "Taking serious note of the issue, the Home Minister who was reportedly at Pathankot till late night returned back to the National capital to discuss the ILPS issue."

If Union Home Minister is saying that the Chief Minister of Manipur has not yet sought for any appointment with either Prime Minister or Union Home Minister, then that statement of the Home Minister shall come from the official press release, in writing, of the Union Home Ministry through Press Information Bureau. Why cannot the Home Minister speak, on his own and not through a press release of his own party in Manipur, his own statement publicly on any national electronic media? Why is Modi government silent and why should BJP's press release be made to be considered and accepted as "the official statement of Modi government"?

The official website of BJP, in its press release on 4th June, 2016, mentions - SHRI RAJNATH SINGH ADDRESSING "VIKAS PARV" PROGRAMME IN PATHANKOT (PUNJAB).

In "Pathankot attack probe: If NIA not allowed to visit Pak, it will be betrayal, says Rajnath Singh", The Indian Express, dated 5th June, 2016, it states that: "Addressing the gathering as part of "Vikash Parv" in the wake of two year completion of the Narendra Modi government, the Home Minister claimed that in last two years, the country has achieved the GDP growth of 7.6 per cent which was commendable."

In today's The People Chronicle, an English daily in Manipur, dated 6th June, 2016, in its headline news "Intense lobby for ILP: State BJP delegates meet Rajnath, Rijiju", there is a sub-headline under it which says "Rajnath dashes back from Pathankot to meet team".

The manufacturing and inventing of news item to show the seriousness of involvement of Union Home Minister is by making a sub-headline "Rajnath dashes back from Pathankot to meet team". It appears that the Home Minister, who has not stated anything officially on the status of the Manipur's 3 bills for the last 9 months, came suddenly straight away from Pathankot of Punjab, India to New Delhi to only meet BJP team from Manipur to have a cup of tea and a photo session without anything substantial and official reply on Manipur's 3 bills from the Union Home Ministry. The reality is – the Union Home Minister went to Pathankot to address the gathering as a part of "Vikash Parv" in the wake of two year completion of the Narendra Modi government. Rajnath Singh was there as a part of his party's function which was celebrating the two years' completion of Modi sarkar and his visit to Pathankot is also published in BJP's official press release on its party website. He, indeed, went to attend "Vikash Parv" and not to discuss about the failure of Modi government to ensure the entry of NIA to Pakistan to complete the Pathankot probe, where Modi government has allowed the visit of Pakistani team to Pathankot while Pakistan has objected to the inclusion and arrival of Indian team to Pakistan to investigate the Pathankot terrorist attack.

But, in Manipur, BJP portrays that Rajnath Singh even had to leave Pathankot for Manipur, but the point is – he went to Pathankot not for Pathankot attack probe but to attend his party's function. So, trying to project that the Home Minister has left the national issue of Pathankot by leaving Pathankot and rushing back to New Delhi for discussing Manipur's 3 bills is misleading, and that reflects the seriousness of Rajnath Singh, which is as good as saying that nobody in Manipur or from Manipur actually knows what Rajnath Singh was doing at Pathankot – whether he was in Pathankot for Pathankot terrorist attack probe or for his party's function to celebrate 2 years of Modi sarkar. This attitude of BJP is a clear example to prove that BJP has genuinely no interest in the Manipur's 3 bills and implementation of ILP in Manipur. The photo session of the leaders of BJP, without giving any official statement from Union Home Ministry, is a clear justification of the hypocrisy and epitome of lies of BJP towards the people of Manipur.

How Modi government divides Manipur on ILP

In "Bills for Protection of Indigenous People Passed By Manipur Assembly", NDTV, dated 31st August, 2015, it states that: "The Manipur Assembly today unanimously passed three bills to protect the indigenous people of the state. They were the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015."

In "Ibobi orders inquiry - Cabinet takes step on Churachandpur flare-up", The Telegraph, dated 6th September, 2015, it mentions that: "The Okram Ibobi Singh cabinet today decided to order a magisterial inquiry into the flare-up in Churachandpur town against three bills passed recently by the state Assembly, leading to the death of eight protesters."

In "Ccpur JAC not to allow magisterial enquiry; wants probe by Central government", Imphal Free Press, dated 22nd September, 2015, it states that: "The enquiry is set to begin and concerned officials are slated to come on the September 23 to Churachandpur to begin the enquiry. The JAC said the people will not accept any enquiry initiative by the state government. Instead, the enquiry must be instituted by the central government."

In the same news, it also states that: "With the unrest over the demand for a Separate Administration for the tribals of Manipur not abating, the a top government official, MH Khan, IAS, Principal Secretary, came to make an assessment of the actual situation on the ground. Earlier, when Khan's vehicle approached the gate of DC resident, his convoy was blocked by womenfolk who also snatched the order appointing him lead a Magisterial enquiry in the incidents that led to the police firing in the district headquarter in the wake of the violent street protest against the passing of three bills ostensibly designed to prevent influx of migrants into the state by the State Legislative Assembly on August 31."

In "MHA special secretary appeals for early resolution to face off", Imphal Free Press, dated 23rd September, 2015, it states that: "The union Special Secretary, Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ashok Prasad visited Churachandpur today to take stock of the situation in the beleaguered township. Prasad a former DGP of J&K was given a warm reception by the Churachandpur public at Kangvai where he was given a memorandum by the Chief's association of the district."

"The Manipur Assembly today unanimously passed three bills to protect the indigenous people of the state. They were the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015."

Despite the 3 bills being passed unanimously by Manipur Assembly, Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, being a democratically elected Leader of Manipur, through his cabinet, decided to order a magisterial inquiry into the flare-up in Churachandpur town against three bills passed by the state Assembly, leading to the death of eight protesters. The magisterial inquiry was headed by the then Principal Secretary M.H. Khan of Government of Manipur. But, neither the Head of the inquiry nor the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned had an opportunity to institute the inquiry as both were stopped violently and made to return back. The government official vehicles were destroyed and ultimately the Principal Secretary had to come back to Imphal without completing the inquiry.

But, contrary to the mob treatment given to the Principal Secretary, Modi government sent a Special Secretary to assess the ground realities in the same district, and when the Special Secretary, from New Delhi, went to visit the same place, the Special Secretary was given a hearty welcome. It clearly shows that Modi government has been making its own attempt to present that Manipur Government is indeed not concerned about the flare up in the district while his (Modi) government in New Delhi is only concerned about the issue, and therefore, when the Special Secretary, from New Delhi, came, there was a sea change in the law and order situation of some areas of the district. What had made the Special Secretary, of Union Government of India, to be received with such a warm welcome while the Principal Secretary, of the Government of Manipur, was blocked and sloganeered by mobs to go back to Imphal in the same place within a difference of a day or two?

Conclusion

With the photo session over a cup of tea with Union Home Minister and BJP leaders of Manipur, without any official statement from Union Home Ministry, and with a deliberate false portrayal of Rajnath Singh's rushing back to New Delhi from Pathankot to discuss Manipur's 3 bills, and sending of the Special Secretary from Government of India to hear instead of waiting the inquiry report by the Principal Secretary of Government of Manipur, and silence of Modi government towards the status of Manipur's 3 bills which are lying in Modi government for the last 9 months, the genuine seriousness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is strongly doubted and this justification of the existence of the doubt is clearly exposed by the lies and politicisation of Manipur's 3 bills and the failure of implementation of ILP in Manipur by none other than the Union Home Minister of India.

How long will Modi government keep the Manipur's 3 bills in New Delhi and play politically with it before Manipur's 2017 state assembly election? When will the Union Home Ministry of India officially state and release an official press release, through Press Information Bureau, on the status of the Manipur's 3 bills?