Stepping out of the prepared text : Report of a post mortem
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 05 2011 -

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi visit Imphal on 3rd december 2011 - Pix :: David M Mayum

Expected share of Rs 13,600 crore in the 13th Finance Commission, no proposal for Supra State Body made to the NSCN (IM) during the ongoing political dialogue with the outfit, Jiribam-Imphal rail line to be completed by March 2016, double laning of Maram-Peren road to be completed by March 2012, development work of NH-37 expected to be completed by December 2013, proposal to upgrade Old Cachar road to the status of a National Highway approved by the Centre in principle coupled with the inauguration of several projects which have already been pending for years including the Assembly complex, the High Court complex, City Convention Centre, the auditorium of Manipur Film Development Corporation and Inter-State Bus Terminus. Not surprisingly, the Prime Minister maintained a diplomatic silence on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

This in short sums up the visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to Imphal on December 3, 2011. Surely the Prime Minister's visit did not fall short on promises and assurances.

There may be different takes on the address of the Prime Minister to the people inside Kangla, but in many ways it may also be taken as some sort of a policy statement of the UPA Government for Manipur, a State which has come to give a new understanding to so many terms which are generally understood within the realm of war time or emergency.

Economic blockades, extraordinary power to the military, fuel rationing, some sort of a permit mechanism to screen visitors to the State (read PAP and foreign Nationals and relaxed for a year, with indications that the permit mechanism may be done away with), extraordinary load shedding schedules that perfectly lives up to the definition of regularity and punctuality etc have come to define the Manipur that we know today and the logical question that follows is whether the address of the Prime Minister touched any of these points, even indirectly or not.

A close look at the text of the Prime Minister's speech suggests that most of the points raised here were indeed covered. The quantum increase in the projected share of the State in the 13th Finance Commission may be seen to address the question of lack of funds.

The assurance that the proposal of the State Government to upgrade Old Cachar road (Tongjei Marin) to the status of a National Highway may be understood within the context of the need to connect Imphal with as many lifelines as possible in the face of the all pervasive culture of blockade politics.

The mention of Tipaimukh Multi- Purpose Project, expansion and upgradation of power transmission, sub-transmission and distribution networks in the North East region may be taken to address the issue of power shortage in the State.

Some of these points are fine and will certainly go down well with the people, but interestingly nowhere is the question of Supra State Body mentioned in the text prepared by the Prime Minister's Office.

Ironically it was the 'No Proposal for Supra State Body' line that made it to the headlines of the newspapers published in Imphal the following day on December 4. This is where Chief Minister O Ibobi certainly made his presence felt and conveyed the message that he was not merely a companion to the visiting dignitaries.

The Chief Minister's open probing for a categorical answer from the Prime Minister led to Dr Manmohan Singh asserting that the Centre has not made any offer of a Supra State Body to the NSCN (IM) and herein lies a tale, an interesting one.

The Prime Minister stepped out of the text prepared by his men in the PMO at Delhi and the acknowledgement for this should go to the Chief Minister for his assertive stand on the point.

Why did the PMO overlook this point while drafting the speech of the Prime Minister ?

Can it be taken as an oversight or does it in any way convey a message of where one of the most pressing issues of Manipur stand in the overall scheme of things inside the PMO ?

Not a very comforting thought at all. Different interpretations may be read into the silence of the Prime Minister on AFSPA while addressing the people.

For one it could mean that the political parties which have been making or conveying the idea that they are against this Act have failed to effectively articulate their stand so as to make a political impact or else it could be merely another demonstration that AFSPA matters to Delhi only when it concerns Kashmir but not Manipur.

Can anyone imagine the Prime Minister of India addressing a gathering at Kashmir and skipping this issue ?

The Prime Minister's visit was significant and as the impact of his visit is studied in the coming days, more thoughts and ideas will come out, but let's hope it does not go the way of the juvenile antics displayed at the office of the MPP. Such antics will only erode the significance of the historic nude protest staged by the womenfolk in front of Kangla in 2004.

The MPP better digest this.