The middle path solution
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 05, 2023 -
IN a development that has been hailed as 'significant' by national media, the Opposition is said to have offered a 'middle path solution' to the Government of India to kickstart discussion on the issue in Manipur, which is witnessing unprecedented violent clashes between the people of Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities since the evening of May 3 last, and the latter is learnt to have accepted the proposal of the former.
Over the past two weeks, both houses of the Indian Parliament, where monsoon session is underway, have seen repeated disruptions and adjournments following disagreement between the Opposition and the Treasury benches on the Rule under which the ongoing violent ethnic conflict in the tiny north-eastern state of Manipur should be discussed.
While the Opposition parties have been insisting that the discussion on the Manipur issue should be held under Rule 267, which provides for suspension of all other businesses, the parties in power wanted a short duration discussion under Rule 176 of the Parliamentary proceedings.
The Opposition parties have also been demanding that a statement be made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had remained mum on the Manipur issue except for his outburst over the viral video clip of two women paraded naked while the Government side said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had been to Manipur to assess the situation, will address the Parliament on the issue.
This disagreement has been at the root cause of the logjam in the Indian Parliament.
Now that the Opposition has proposed that the discussion be held under Rule 167 of the Parliamentary proceedings which has the provision for voting, and the government is said to have agreed to the proposal, one could only hope that the logjam in the Parliament is finally put to rest and a thorough discussion on the long overdue burning Manipur issue gets started with the seriousness it deserves.
It is disheartening that both the Opposition and the Treasury benches have been accusing each other of causing repeated disruptions and adjournments in the Parliament over the Manipur issue while maintaining that they are dead-serious and ready to discuss the issue so that the protracted violent conflict could be resolved and pave way for normalcy to return in the tiny north-eastern state.
Whether one sits in the Opposition or the Treasury benches, no elected Member of the Parliament should ignore the crisis that is unfolding in Manipur today and give undue advantage to 'outsiders' to meddle and misinterpret the whole issue.
Leaving the Manipur crisis to go on unattended while trying to bicker and score some political brownie points against each other would cost dearly not only for all the Members of the Parliament themselves but also to the integrity and prestige of the country as a whole.
Let's not forget this simple fact that far from some numerical figures of precious human lives lost, public and private properties reduced to ashes, families on either side of the clash divide rendered homeless, etc., the ongoing violent conflict between Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities, which has shown no sign of any slowdown in the last three months; has exposed the utter failure of all government machineries both at the centre and in the state.
This has opened the door wide to elements inimical to the unity and integrity of the country, who are literally having a field day today, and for whom there is no middle path solution at all.
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