Studying Manipur ahead of 2027 : Hosting B20
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 18, 2023 -

Where does Manipur expect to see herself four years down the line, that is by the time the next Assembly elections come in 2027 ?

This is a question which the BJP led Government at Imphal should be asking itself now.

Short term look, one may say but a statesman should have the ability to look 10 or 15 or even 20 years hence and herein lies the importance of asking the Government what it sees for Manipur by 2027.

What achievements can the Government at Imphal highlight to show for it being in power during the last 5 years, topped off with the fact that it was in power for another five years earlier that is after the 2017 Assembly elections.

To look at what Manipur may expect to see how it looks when the 2027 Assembly elections come, it would not hurt to study how much of the pre-poll promises of the 2017 Assembly elections the BJP led Government has been able to fulfil.

How much has the State Government been able to stride within the realm of the Act East Policy ?

Is Manipur primed to reap the maximum benefits from the Act East Policy, which was earlier the Look East Policy ?

How well tuned is the officialdom of Imphal with what is happening at Myanmar, especially in the context of the coup in the neighbouring country in the early part of 2021 ?

How much has the imposition of martial rule impacted on the Government of India’s Act East Policy ?

These are points which the officialdom at Imphal must or should be studying if the people and Manipur are to reap the maximum possible benefits from the Act East Policy.

The questions on the Act East Policy is important and crucial in the backdrop of the fact that Manipur is among the States in the country which has been given the opportunity to host the B20 Summit as part of the G20 meetings hosted across the country.

Can one expect Manipur and the local entrepreneurs to reap the maximum benefits out of the B20 Summit, where representatives from at least 23 countries are expected ?

Will hosting such a Summit help the State to make any headway in the tourism sector ?

Will Loktak be able to catch the imagination of the member countries of B20 ?

Much will depend on how well the case of Manipur is presented before the international dignitaries.

The crucial question is whether Manipur will be able to maximise the opportunity coming from hosting the B20 Summit which is an important component of the G20 meeting.

Only time will tell and this is where it becomes important for the people to remember and raise questions on this point before Manipur goes to polls in the early part of 2027.

Many say this is too early, but this point is being stressed for the people to start crossing the Ts and dotting the Is now.

It has to be granted that after the BJP led Government came to power after the 2017 Assembly elections, serpentine queues in front of petrol pumps is a story of the past.

Allegations of custodial killings or fake encounters are no longer heard these days, but the main credit for this should go to EEVFAM which filed the extra judicial killings case before the Supreme Court.

The Inner Line Permit System has been extended to Manipur and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been withdrawn from some areas.

These are the points that the BJP can and will present before the people before the next Assembly election comes but there is nothing to talk on the water supply front.

As stated more than once in this column, Imphal continues to reel under acute water shortage.

The same is the case in the hill districts with Ukhrul district headquarters reeling under a water crisis. What about power supply ?

It may have improved, but remember when the pre-paid system was introduced under whose tenure.

Early it is but it is best to measure the conduct of the Government before one is flooded with the cacophony of achievements and criticisms, as the case may be from other quarters before 2027 comes.