Claim the crown if you have 30 !

Free Thinker *

Displaced MLAs may be restored to their respectable positions at the earliest before they become haywire; important people who fled from Imphal must be brought back honorably as quickly as possible; de facto re-integration of State police and bureaucracy is urgently required; arrest of 'wanted' and recovery of weapons must be done on fast track. These are unsolicited suggestions for instant results.

In a sixty-member State Assembly today we have 59, one less than 60 due to the demise of an honorable member. Now, if any one of the MLAs come to Raj Bhawan with the support of 29 MLAs (physically) and claim to form the Government,

I believe that His Excellency will certainly give him or her an opportunity to form the Government. However, the Governor must be convinced (himself) that the claimant can provide a stable Government.

On 13th Feb, 2025 the State of Manipur was brought under the rule of Raj Bhavan (President’s Rule) invoking Article 356 of the Constitution. This was ratified by Lok Sabha on 3rd April, 2025 after midnight; and in Rajya Sabha in the wee hours of the 4th April, 2025.

While speaking in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Hon Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji made it very clear that the problem in Manipur was because of the conflict between two ‘samudais’ and now the State is gradually coming back to normalcy.

Manipur PR Resolution was passed in Parliament burning midnight oil. In Lok Sabha our MPs were not allowed to speak – by whom ? we don’t know – by their Party or by the Presiding Officer. Only the Members themselves may clarify on this inquisitive query. In the Upper House also our Maharaja could not say anything since everything was deliberated upon by the Hon. Home Minister, from the Treasury Bench.

PR has been imposed in Manipur for the 11th time, making it a record in the country; it is the highest number of PR imposed in a State since Independence. Uttar Pradesh comes second with 10 and Punjab a close third with 9. First PR came to Manipur in 1967. Manipur is very much loved by the Union and that is why we have the maximum PR (Piyar).

Post Independence most of our State leaders started their political career with a strong Left-lining with Congress Nationalist ideology. However, within a few decades they gradually became rightist Nationalists. It might be because of the changing National scenario; the rise and rise of BJP – and the fall and fall of Left Parties and INC. There is nothing wrong in changing one’s perception and ideological leanings.

Vajpayee and Advani started the rightwing journey (first NDA Government) in the beginning of the 21st century; and now Modi and Shah are running the country beautifully for the last 11 years since 2014.

Manipur is always influenced by the National politics except for a brief spell of Manipur People’s Party (MPP). Now, the resurrection of a democratically elected Govt is on the card but restoration of normalcy is given top priority.

One Prof of practice has invented a land sharing formula for the people of Manipur. He says the root cause of our problem is the land. According to his scheme of things – since the land belongs to a Sovereign Nation, people are also part of that Sovereignty. This land called Manipur is under the Sovereign Authority of India that is Bharat.

So, Bharat can do anything with this land; it may be merged with Naga-land or Mizoram but certainly it will not be dismantled. Again, the people living in Manipur shall remain in it.

His suggestion includes the sharing of non-Patta land among the citizens - the total area should be equally divided among its bonafide inhabitants (Total non-Patta land divided by the total population). It will benefit both hill and valley people. The Forest land, Reserved Forest land, water-bodies and other Government land should be kept away from this sharing formula.

The formula shall apply in the entire State for the entire population. Until and unless the non-Patta area is ascertained and finalized the total bonafide population, land division work may be delayed for the time being. But most importantly the land shall never be divided on ethnic lines. The idea may sound utopian but it has the fragrance of co-existence.

Coaching centers are teaching the future bureaucrats that PR can be imposed on any State – if that State Government fails to function as per the Constitution (imposition will be on the recommendation of the Governor). Sometimes such imposition may be expedited on the President's discretion, even without the Governor’s report. This is called State Emergency or Constitutional Emergency under Article 356.

We were taught in a much more sophisticated way that PR is imposed when there is complete breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the State – certainly not merely on law-and-order issues.

Our issue is taken seriously, that is why both the resolutions in Parliament were taken up urgently at night when the whole world was sleeping so that Manipur remains awake and alive.

Thanks to Bhalla ji, everything is gradually coming back to its original places including guns but the humans. By engaging with the leaders-underground, overground, political and non-political - a durable solution will be found.