Manipur Election : Diverting decades-long issues by playing blockade issue
- Imphal Times Editorial :: January 26 2017 -

With Central government authority not very successful in playing the UNC’s blockade issue, which has been haunting the state for over 75 days, Congress party in the state is taking all advantage of poll strategies in the upcoming state assembly election.

March 4 and 8 is just one month and a week to go, and within this very short time, Manipur will decide/ elect those persons to rule the state for 5 years.

The changing face of Indian democracy is adding another factor to the politics of the largest democracy in the world.

The announcement of Prime Ministerial candidate, which was not considered ethical in electoral practice, has become a real factor now.

The blowing wind at the mainland India has reached the state too, and the fate of a political party now is depended on the integrity, quality, and sincerity of the leader which will lead the party, if suppose it comes to power.

Now, for the Congress party which has been in power in the state under the chief ministership of Okram Ibobi Singh, people have no doubt that, the party will be led by him if the peoples’ mandate is given to him.

Unfortunately, the BJP, with no perfect leader in the state, whom people trusted, is somehow not going well to start the war of words with the opponent Congress party, as Mr. Okram Ibobi had checkmate the battleground to this UNC issue.

Before, a year, when BJP gains its popularity with the high profile quality of the Narendra Modi Government in the Center, everything seems to be good and well played.

The Okram Ibobi led government which has been the charge of various fraudulent activities, including nepotism, favouritism, corruption, human rights violations, fund misappropriations, etc, etc has been able to sideline all these vital issues in a single blow.

Except for few near and dear one, most people of the state including MLAs of his own party had time and again revolt against him.

Whenever, such revolt inside the congress party the cool minded leader who has been ruling the state for three consecutive terms managed to put everything under control proving him as the only leader that will lead the party, as far as his health is concerned.

A mistake, we assumed, committed by the BJP, for spreading its hand towards the North eastern region is that those from the big state, seems not taking that much important to the region.

Considering the society of Manipur synonymous with that of Arunachal Pradesh or Assam or perhaps Nagaland whom they can play any tricks to form a BJP government is a misguided information to the central leadership when it comes to the state of Manipur.

There are many reasons but one prime reason is that Manipur, an erstwhile kingdom in the South East Asia, having a civilisation of 2000 years merged to the Indian Union only in 1949, October 15.

The boundary merger was official and any change to it may not be a good move for the party.

It is okay respecting the right of all common people and legal civil society organisations, but it will be perfectly wrong if the Central government think that appeasing NSCN-IM will make the party popular in the reason, particularly in the state of Manipur.

This is being reminded, because, it is seen from what Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Chief Minister of Manipur which said that the central government will ask UNC to end the blockade if the creation of Sardar Hill and Jiribam District is revoked.

With all the development seen today, it is clear that both the government at center and the government in the state are thinking that UNC’s blockade, whom everyone understands the hidden agenda is being utilised as a tool for the election campaign.

Let’s make these two political party teach a lesson by warning them to stop playing blockade politics.

Instead, it is better we focus on some important issue like corruption, AFSPA and of course to make them promise that they amend the Article 3 of the Indian Constitution.