Two sides of the same coin
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 14, 2013 -
Who has gained the most from the ongoing sparring over the disparaging remarks of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who called his Manipur counter O Ibobi Singh 'one of the biggest enemies of the Nagas'?
Obviously, not the people on either side of the fence of Naga politics.
Addressing an election rally of NPF at Zunheboto district of Nagaland on February 6, Neiphiu Rio stirred up a hornet's nest by dubbing O Ibobi Singh as one of the biggest enemies of the Naga people who is responsible for the suppression of Nagas.
Taking strong exception to Rio's remarks, the Government of Manipur convened a meeting of the State Cabinet on February 8 and condemned what it described as Rio's 'hate speech', having all the potentials of causing serious damage to the fragile inter-State relations and spark communal tension among the people of the two neighbouring States.
Accordingly, the State Cabinet decided to take up the matter with the Union Home Ministry and the Election Commission of India for initiating necessary action against the Nagaland Chief Minister over his alleged anti-National and communally charged remarks.
On the same day of the Cabinet decision, human rights activist and senior Advocate Khaidem Mani too chipped in by contesting that Rio could be booked and sentenced to five years in jail under Section 153-A of India Penal Code for his hate speech against Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh.
On the other side of the fence, NPF, UNC, NSF and ANSAM came out in quick succession to justify the remarks of Rio, who in turn, emboldened by such unstinted support, proclaimed proudly, ""I am speaking for the right of the Naga people and for that why should anybody threaten to jail me. If I am to go to jail for the sake of my people, so be it", while addressing another election rally of his party on February 11.
As if all these dramas were not enough for enduring by the poor people in the two neighbouring States, who may have got nothing to do with all these political wrangling in their daily struggle for survival, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), which has been waiting for an opportune moment for a Parthian shot at Rio for the dig made at its senior leaders for rushing all the way to Imphal by road secretly to meet the Chief Minister of Manipur to seek his blessings and advice for the elections in Nagaland, joined in the sparring by asserting that 'if ever Rio had to be jailed, it would be for indulging in rampant corruption, embezzlement and aggrandizement of public money, nepotism, etc and not for the cause of Naga people'.
From this endless sparring of trying to extract political mileage by everyone involved, one may get the impression that the Chief Ministers of the two neighbouring States have been elevated to the status of messiahs championing the cause of their respective States and the people, but the truth is it has only showed once again how Manipur and Naga issue are intrinsically related to each other like two sides of the same coin - any talk on Naga politics would invariably raked up Manipur. That's for sure.
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