Keeping the folks under a state of confusion : Unacceptable politics
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 18, 2024 -

Keep the place and her people in a state of utter confusion and this is what has been happening to Manipur since the evening of May 3, 2023.

Even after more than a year it is not clear whether Article 355 has been enforced in the State or not.

Has Chief Minister N Biren Singh been removed as Chairman of the Unified Command or is the Security Advisor in charge ?

Read this question against the poser of whether the Security Advisor, Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi and DGP Rajiv Singh were appointed in consultation with the State Government or were directly imposed by the Centre ?

Why were suggestions from the office of the Chief Minister to the DGP with a copy to the Security Advisor to take up adequate security measures at Jiribam, citing intelligence inputs of build up of militant movements, ignored ?

Can official communication from the office of the Chief Minister be ignored or given the short shrift by any Government employee ?

Again take these questions against the fact that Chief Minister N Biren was not among the list of persons invited to the high level meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the Manipur violence and things should become a little clearer.

Those invited included the Security Advisor, the Chief Secretary, DGP, the Chief of Army Staff and Army Chief designate but not the Chief Minister.

Strange it is that a meeting called to discuss the unfolding development in Manipur was held without the Chief Minister and surely the BJP led Government at Delhi has given a new understanding to keeping the people confused and perplexed.

Take these developments with announcement of no one less than the Union Home Minister on the floor of Parliament some time last year that the Chief Minister of Manipur is co-operating.

What is happening ?

A natural question that follows the developments in Manipur and surely this cannot be the script to resolve the more than one year conflict in the State.

This is where a bigger political agenda can be smelt and with Delhi and Imphal not spelling out what this political agenda is, enough room has been created for conspiracy theory to fly thick and fast.

And this cannot be good for the place and the prevailing situation.

Or was the Chief Minister alluding to this when he confidently claimed that peace would be restored in the State in the next two or three months, a line he held while interacting with India TodayNE on June 16 ?

It is clear. It is not only the weapon brandishing Kuki militants that Manipur should be wary of, but also the politics of New Delhi.

A politics that smacks of geo-politics where the interests of Manipur may be compromised and it is through this prism that the conduct of Central forces, particularly the Assam Rifles is increasingly being viewed.

With news that a meeting on Manipur has been convened without the Chief Minister going viral, the one question that did the round was ‘How can a meeting on Manipur be held without the Chief Minister in attendance ?’

No answer is expected to come from New Delhi on this and even if an answer comes, it would be difficult not to believe that the answer has been tailor made to further confuse the people.

This is the reality and adding more to the confusion and in the process exposing the level of politics that Delhi is playing with the situation in Manipur is the uncertain status of the Suspension of Operation pact.

The last date to extend to the pact has come and gone but Delhi has been uncharacteristically quiet on the status of SoO.

Common sense says that if it is not extended, then it stands that it has expired, but what course of action has been taken up to convey this point ?

Delhi and the top notch security guys continue to talk about the guns looted from the police armouries during the initial days of the clash, but from where have the guns that are being used to fire at the foothill settlements come from ?

Why is Delhi quiet on this ?

If Manipur is to take her first step towards normalcy then the politicking should stop and Delhi should demonstrate that it is sincere about finding a solution.

Convening a meeting to discuss the violence here without the Chief Minister runs contrary to the understanding of charting a way for normalcy.