"This State can't be broken" - Biren's Brahmastra

Free Thinker *

A few days back Shri Biren Singh Spoke to PTI . The most powerful utterance of the interview was – “Manipur is a small State. Our forefathers have a history of 2000 years. Many sacrifices were made to make this land. This State can’t be broken or have a separate administration. We will not allow this” – he said it. Even his adversaries will stand by him as long as he invokes this mantra.

Shri Biren says, peace will be restored in 6 months. Everyone wants to believe it, because this is the only way out. All in the State and outside understand that peace and normalcy is the prerequisite of any future settlement or solution. Now, fortunately violence has stopped. Thanks to the benevolent but forceful intervention of the Army and Paramilitary forces.

Those who do not love Manipur – they have no business to loiter around in the State. Those who are born and brought up in Manipur will never think of breaking it. If they think so they can’t be true children of the land.

The misleading and devious narrative that Manipur is only for Meiteis - is absolutely wrong. Manipur is for all the tribes and ethnic groups who have been living here since 1961. This is a very liberal pronouncement by the Government. Some are still insisting that it should be 1951. Anyways the official stand of the government should be respected.

People living in Manipur since 1961 are bona fide citizens of the land - it applies to all arrivals. They will have domicile rights and all other accompanying rights. They are no more outsiders. Their children and grandchildren shall remain citizens of the state.

The sense of attachment and commitment to the State may be lacking for those who joined the State late. That should not be the reason for propagating communal or ethnic enmity and also culminating the idea of dismemberment of Manipur.

Controlling the local militia is going to be a humongous task for anybody . Shri Biren is saying that “I told them that you will not do any anti-national or communal act, I gave clear warning “. Will it work? The ST demand can’t be neutralized by the demand for a separate administration. This is an old demand. Demand for a separate administration is a knee-jerk reaction.

But in a liberal democracy like ours both demands can be made . Whether you get it or not, that is a different matter altogether. According to my assessment all the demands are in the cold storage; till the situation is normalized nothing seems to be moving. Perhaps the Centre is annoyed with our behavior – political or non-political.

We can’t forget that we are living in a Democracy. Politics is an indispensable part of it. If we are of no use to the number games or nation building – our demands shall remain unattended. There may be some positive response if some positive things happen in the near future. Otherwise my reading is that no serious demand from the people will be looked into - this is my personal opinion.

Whether you like it or not, Shri Biren Singh has learnt the art of survival. It is extremely important to learn this art in politics. In politics you will have foes and friends within and without. Even inside the party too you have leaders who do not like you or who have different approaches and loyalties. So, it is extremely difficult to remain afloat in politics with relevance and power.

Once you are down and out, you are gone. As long as you remain relevant and powerful – you will survive, living and kicking. Your political adversaries and enemies will be emboldened once you become weak and fragile. Things may change in favor of the adversaries.

For more than a year Shri Biren Singh survives politically despite all odds mounted against him - the bloody lingering ethnic strife, the distressed displaced people , unending political maneuverings by his opponents, ethnic oriented attacks, unfriendly organizations , communal and religious incursions, national and international pressures, adverse reports in the national and global media, unexpected pressures from European Parliament, US Congress and British Parliament. The resilience is remarkable.

Once he wanted to resign but he was not allowed to do so by his die-hard supporters like the Khurai super-man and motivated mothers who feel his unshakable patriotism. Many still argue that was a political bluff but they never questioned his patriotism. Even those who have not taken a single penny from him or ask for any favor from him still believe that he is a genuine son of the soil.

Only a few leaders live and die with the idea of Manipur. These patriots are always remembered even if they passed away or live in oblivion. Ima Manipur shall always stand strong with her true sons and daughters.

Amidst unwanted circumstances Shri Biren survives with the invincible ‘idea of Manipur’. Even the Deep States can’t shake it up. A few thousands are just a reflection – when a million and half stand up together ‘the idea’ becomes indestructible. Ask for anything but not for Balkanization.