On completing one year in office : Looking to the days ahead
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 16 2018 -
Mastering the art of persuasion or maybe something more but it is however significant to note that just 24 hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to land here to take part in the Indian Science Congress at Manipur University and the completion of one year in office of the BJP led Government, the Kuki Students’ Organisation, Sadar Hills called off its boycott and total shut down calls while the All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur too withdrew its ‘picket ZEO office’ stir.
A reflection of how seriously the Government took the visit of the Prime Minister to the State for the Indian Science Congress and the one year in office do.
It has to be granted that after the BJP led Government came to power following the Assembly elections in 2017, bandhs and blockades have practically vanished from the scene but is this enough to rejoice and say everything is hunky dory ?
The fact that two different agitations were called off just before the Prime Minister landed here means that the State Government still need to study why the course of agitation was announced in the first place.
What could have been done earlier to convince all involved not to resort to such practise as bandhs and shutdowns ?
Or picket Government offices as in the case of ATSUM.
This is a point which should not blow over the head of the BJP led Government and as Chief Minister N Biren himself noted, ‘Challenges have escalated, must work harder,’ the Government need to acknowledge that there are challenges ahead and all need to work harder to meet the challenges.
And these challenges may not necessarily come from within the Government but from without and it remains to be seen how the Government deals with it when such a challenge comes blowing.
The observation of the Chief Minister on the completion of one year in office is what sounds positive.
A clear message that he is not merely content on blowing the bugle of the Government and basking in the completion of one year in office, but is looking forward to the times to come.
So what are the challenges that have escalated ?
The Chief Minister did not spell this out in his address to the people, but one can well pick two issues which may and can haunt the Government in the coming days.
One obviously is the demand to implement a mechanism to regulate the inflow of non-local people into the State and the other is the low key but sustained campaign to include the Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India.
How will the Government deal with the two issues is the interesting question.
With the JCILPS managing to take on board the Naga civil society organisations, the Government may not face much of an opposition from the Nagas, but how about the Churachandpur JAC ?
Will the Government be able to take them on board, after all the question here is about protecting the interests of the local people and the BJP led Government certainly cannot afford to be seen as a party which refuses to look after the interests of the indigenous people.
How about the ST demand for the Meiteis ? Can the Government work out a way which is acceptable to the STDCM and others who are opposed to the ST proposal for the Meiteis ?
The coming days can be uncertain and it is this which must have registered in the mind of the Chief Minister.
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