Politics on the Misery of People

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Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, (CAF&PD) conduct open mobile sale for some essential commodities at subsidized rate at different places of Imphal area on Sep 29 2011 :: Picture Credit - Bullu Raj

Artificial famine is a regular feature of Manipur and an important event for the SPF government. A leading English news paper, Hueiyen Lanpao, opens its report as 'with pressures from all sections of the people of the state mounting, the state Chief Minister today reviewed the prices of essential commodities and told the businessmen in Imphal city to sell essential commodities at normal prices which was prevailing prior to the ongoing economic blockades.'

Earlier, the government of Manipur becomes wholesale seller by opening 'mobile sale' store of some essential items.

The action of the government reveals two things, first, there is a pressure on the government from the people to act on the 'rise of prices' of essential commodities.

Second, that government accepts, after 60 days, that economic blockade has an impact on the lives of the people.

However, at one level, the actions of the government and those demanding to control the prices is not addressing the root or fundament cause, 'The Blockade' . Protest against the rise of commodity is a regular phenomenon that takes place in every part of the world.

But, the peculiarity of the protest in Manipur against the price rise by the Imphal base civil society and political organization is that it realized only after the blockade has entered more than a month.

Where the actions should have been on the first day of the announcement of the blockade itself by denouncing it and should have forced the government to act against any citizens that restored to blockade as a mode of protest.

On the other, sidelining of blockade as an issue by the government hints to the point that the government of the day accepts the premise that blockade as a mode of democratic protest is a legitimate act, though declared illegal by the Supreme Court of India.

Further, this is also reveals is that on the misery of the people, though create by the government, politics can be played out.

A classic example is that a powerful minister of the government becomes a high profile 'guard at petrol outlets' to check irregularities.

The action of the minister indirectly says the police have fail to do their jobs and only reaffirming the notion that only feudal masters can only govern Manipur and also shows that rule of law has no place in Manipur.

Further, the insensitivity towards the society is reveled when the government that should have taken decisions against the illegal actions of the citizens and implements the decisions ends up requesting the supports of the blockade to end the blockade.

At the same time, makes a mockery of the gravity of the situation by saying that 'Manipur can have 14 -15 districts' rather than securing the highways and abstaining from artificially creating a famine by the government at regular intervals.