Many continue to eye indifferent Delhi : Seeking a date with Modi
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 07, 2024 -

Delhi or rather the BJP led Government continues to remain indifferent but this has not stopped many in Manipur and elsewhere to prod the Centre to do something substantive to address the ongoing ethnic clash which has completed 19 months of blood and gore.

So even as Parliament refused to entertain a Special Mention Notice on Manipur from Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose of the Trinamool Congress, as many as 19 Civil Society Organisations have lined up a protest rally at New Delhi on December 22 under the theme 'Peace and Co-existence'.

Other than this the CSOs have also spelt out that an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be sought between December 22 and December 26.

In the same vein, the World Meetei Council has also forwarded a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate intervention to resolve the Manipur crisis and topped this off with the observation, 'Your leadership on the global stage has been widely recognised, with discussions about your Nobel Prize nomination growing louder...however the ongoing situation in Manipur could tarnish your reputation and jeopardize your chances of receiving this prestigious honour'.

Eyes on Delhi and it is now more than clear that since the political leaders of the day, as understood in the context of the BJP led Government at Imphal, have not managed to get an audience with the Prime Minister for over 19 months, it is now the time for different CSOs to come together and see if Modi would be willing to meet the apolitical organisations.

Even as the Prime Minister is being prodded to do something to address the crisis in Manipur, the Joint Action Committee and family members of the missing Kamalbabu have asserted that they are now ready to take the case of the missing man to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Whether Singh grants them an audience or not is immaterial but what is significant is that the 57 Mountain Division has totally failed to instil confidence and trust that best efforts are on to trace the missing man.

A man who has gone missing since November 25, with the log book confirming that he did enter the highly fortified Amy garrison, but nothing to show that he exited.

Evidence is clear that he disappeared from within the highly fortified Leimakhong.

Has the indifference of the Prime Minister also rubbed off on the Army based at Leimakhong is the natural question that follows and this is all that more significant now that many eyes are now trained on Delhi, as the BJP leaders of Manipur have woefully fallen short of doing anything concrete to address the cries of the people.

This is where one is inclined to question what has happened to the line, 'The Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister are keeping a close tab on the Situation here and they are being kept updated'.

There will be no answer, but the fact remains that till date the Prime Minister has not deemed it fit to meet anyone from Manipur to have a one to one discussion on the ongoing ethnic clash.

Given the reality, will it be realistic to bank on the efforts taken up by the 19 Civil Society Organisations to try and meet the Prime Minister between December 22 and 26?

The answer is anyone's guess but it should say something significant that despite the indifference to the mayhem for over 19 months, many in Manipur still look forward to meeting the Prime Minister and present the case of the people and the place.

It should also say something very significant that instead of asking the political leaders of the State, particularly the State BJP leaders to try and seek an audience with the Prime Minister, some CSOs have taken it upon themselves to try and knock on the door of Narendra Modi One is an indication that many here still repose their faith and confidence in the Prime Minister and the other is an indication that many have stopped trusting the State Government to take the State towards the path of normalcy.

The message should be clear to all and the significance of the announcement by the 19 CSOs should say so many significant things.

This is the reality but who is willing to accept the reality?