Extremely disturbing twist and turn: Trashing a pact with Govt
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 18 2019 -

Pact with State Government violated : Pillars with 'controversial' words unveiled at three sites :: Pix - TSE

The twist and turn is disturbing and if not for its serious nature, it would have looked like a fast paced thriller from a cheap Bollywood flick.

Hours after the State Government managed to persuade Kuki Inpi, Manipur (KIM) and the Anglo-Kuki War Centenary Commemoration Committee (AKWCCC) to erase the ‘objectionable’ phrase, ‘In defence of our ancestral land and freedom’ and replace it with ‘In defence of dignity and freedom,’ came the thunderbolt from the Kuki Inpi, Kumpi, with the tag ‘Apex Body of Kukis’, that all ‘KIM and AKWCCC executives are suspended forthwith until further orders.’

Not surprisingly this was followed by the memorial stone erection at some places, Aisan in Saikul sub-division, T Waichong village and at S Moljol village, to name a few, complete with the ‘objectionable’ words, ‘In defence of our ancestral land and freedom.’

So from a stand off between the Kukis and the Nagas on the one had and some CSOs of Manipur, notably AMUCO, UCM, PANDM, Federation of Haomee etc, the issue seems to have pitched social leaders of the Kuki community against each other.

Not surprisingly the State Government has taken serious note of the new development and in a hurriedly convened Cabinet meeting it was decided to recommend that the Suspension of Operation pact with some armed Kuki outfits be suspended.

This may just be the beginning and as stated in an earlier commentary, it is the common people who will stand to be adversely affected and not those who took the decision to go ahead and erect the memorial stones with the said phrase.

Any confrontation will also not affect the key board warriors who have been punching in venom spewing words and thoughts from the comfort of their rooms on the social media.

The Government has every reason to be peeved with the new development.

It is a case of saying that the agreement with the Government can be trashed anytime at the fancy and whims of some elements and this is what is unacceptable.

More than obvious that the KIM and AKWCCC leaders who came to the agreement with the Chief Minister on October 16 would have been placed under severe strain and made to undergo some very uncomfortable situations.

Now that some memorial pillars have been erected with the words, ‘In defence of our ancestral land and freedom’, it is unlikely that CSOs from the Naga community will remain quiet.

CSOs like AMUCO, UCM, PANDM, Federation of Haomee cannot be expected to remain quiet either and certainly Manipur can expect some stormy days ahead.

Trash an agreement with the Government, go ahead with an inscription that has rubbed members of other communities the wrong way and go ahead and erect the said memorial pillars with the ‘offensive’ words and this is akin to scripting a chapter to throw Manipur into a whirlpool of confrontations and hatred.

This is the situation and this is where the Government will need to walk cautiously and if certain elements continue to whip up unnecessary passion via the social media, then this would be a sure invitation to the Government to suspend internet service.