Politricks on the stage : Will BJP cross the Rubicon in the January polls?

Hiyang Athouba *

Usually a sitting MLA wins the next election or by-election, especially so when two MLAs, Joykisan and Biswajit became victims of political chicanery. Despite repeated claims by Gaikhangam that the Modi wave has not crossed the high mountains to make a landfall the movers and shakers of BJP are confident that the Congress governments in the NE will be stamped out.

But the ground realities are something different in Manipur. People have not forgotten how the local newspapers published screaming headlines on the way the Hiyanglam voters were bribed as high as Rs 5000 each during the by-election. There was not even a perfunctory denial from the candidates and parties which include BJP.

The only political weapon to sandbag the ruling Congress is the corruption charge. The centre has failed to establish a single case so far. The promise to bring out a booklet listing ten scams is yet to see the light of the day. Instead of this election strategy the “corrupt” Congress ministers should have been incarcerated. It has not been done so far. Why?

Ibobi once calmly said in a small place like Manipur people know who is corrupt or not. It might have been a warning not to pelt stones at the glass house if you happen to stay in another.

And MLAs like Nambol Loken shall not remain silent if BJP opens the pandora’s box. BJP leaders have been shouting from the housetop that they have a soft corner for the Northeast. The improvement of NH 37 was included in the must do within the first 100 days of the Modi govt.

But it was silently dropped so as to make NH 2 the only operational lifeline where taxes with fancy names are extorted. No finger was lifted against the failures of the BRTF despite pumping in of milliions of Rupees. It should shame the nation that it is the drivers and transporters who improved this bridle path with their own money while Modi is busy with demonetisation and digital change over.

It was in fitness of things that Rs 100 crore was earmarked for the sports university since our sportspersons have outshone others. The site was inspected and approved by the experts.

Now ahead of the elections the centre finds obstacles and people are not amused that the centre galvanised so only after 2 years. If BJP does not come to power this time the university may wait for another 5 years.

It will not be out of place to regale the readers with the “love for the Northeasterners” with the discrimination against one Manipuri baby by the Modi government.

The young grand daughter of a journalist was admitted in Ganga Ram hospital, Delhi as she was suffering from blood cancer. Parents of other patients advised the father of the Manipuri girl to apply to the PMO since Rs 500,000 is given from the Prime Minister’s fund. All the children who happened to be from big states of the Hindi belt got the assistance.

Dr T Meinya strongly recommended the Manipuri girl. The girl’s father submitted the application to the PMO. He was advised to collect information from a telephone which was never picked up.

Cancer treatment is an expensive process and the help from the PM’s fund would have been highly appreciated. Despite repeated efforts the haughty officials in the PMO refused to explain why the Manipuri girl was denied the help extended to others.

Well, the BJP big shots in Imphal would better explain it. Because the matter will keep on coming in the national media. Besides Narendra Modi and Amit Shah may face embarrassing questions during press conferences in Imphal ahead of the elections. If the grand daughter of a journalist can thus be swept under the doormat what would be the fate of the commoners for whom BJP claims to stand?

At an average there are 5 BJP aspiring candidates in most of the constituencies. They are hoodwinking and confusing the voters with their electioneering. But only one of them will get the party ticket and the disgruntled jilted four will become hostile and this will be suicidal for the party as a whole.

The scramble for the BJP is so maddening that even some persons who are facing CBI probe had joined the band wagon.

Can the political din actually dim the track record of 15 years in power?