It is ‘heartening’ to learn that we have a Chief Minister who is ready to go to any extent to uphold the principles of democracy. How else can one explain his reaction to the Welcome to South Nagalim banner which greeted him and his colleagues during a visit to Senapati district headquarters on May 22 ?
The Chief Minister's stand that the expression of an individual's desire cannot be prohibited in a democracy has certainly given a new definition to democracy but at the same time we really do not know whether to applaud his grand stand or wring our hands in despair.
We fully agree that each and every individual should be given the liberty to air his/her opinion fearlessly and without biases. However it is a little disconcerting to see that our honourable Chief Minister has chosen to take the easy route out by harking on the principles of democracy when the Welcome to South Nagalim banner greeted him at Senapati district headquarters.
That Senapati district has been one of most vocal voices in raising the demand for the creation of a Greater Lim is not something new but the manner in which the mock welcome banner was put up is something serious and we only hope the Chief Minister will not brush it aside as something inconsequential.
We are not in any way suggesting that the people who put up the banner should be nailed, but we would definitely like to see the Government study the unsavoury incident and take steps to ensure that it does not set a precedent.
On the other hand the Welcome banner also indicated the security lapses provided for the Chief Minister. It was a banner that was unfurled non-chalantly in front of the Chief Minister, but on the other hand it could easily have been some gun toting assassin ! Has the Chief Minister and his men bothered to study the incident from the security point of view ?
The demand for the creation of a Greater Lim has been gaining ground with each passing years and what was before seen as a demand put up by the NSCN (IM) is today being picked up by different Naga social organisations.
In other words the baton has passed from the rebel group to the Naga population and this is a strategy that seems to suit the NSCN (IM) perfectly. Maybe this was a lesson the IM leaders picked up from the people of Manipur when they rose as one to oppose the geographical extension of the cease fire in 2001.
At the moment there seems to be no meeting point between the people on either side of the Lim divide, but care should be taken by all to ensure that the Lim issue is not used to denigrate anyone or any people.
Provocation may be seen as the perfect tool by some elements to heighten social tension and further sow the seeds of communal divides and the Welcome to Southern Nagalim banner may be seen as the desperate attempt to provoke and thereby achieve some hideous agenda.
Whatever the provocation may be, at this juncture, when the State is passing through such a critical time, the need of the hour is level headedness and the resolve not to be carried away by sentiments.
It may be just a banner but the intention behind the mischievous banner carries a whole lot of underlying meanings and this should not be lost on anyone.
The banner was juvenile but such antics should not be immuned by the principles of democracy as our Chief Minister would like to prefer.
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