Reminding and reminded
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 09, 2024 -

CONGRESS MP from the unreserved Inner Manipur parliamentary constituency Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has done the right thing in reminding the Government of India of its "historical, political, moral and legal" responsibility towards defending Manipur.

Taking up the issue of current conflict in Manipur during the Zero Hour of Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Dr Bimol expressed concern over "communal and divisive forces that have created havoc in the state" and pointed out that "in the Instrument of Accession signed by the then Maharaja of the state on August 11, 1947, the defence of the state was handed over to the government of India, and therefore the Government of India must take stern action against these divisive forces aided by foreign elements".

Leaving aside the contention over legality of signing the agreement by a proclaimed king without consulting the people of Manipur to cede not just the subject of defence, but also external affairs and communications to the Union of India, there has been no two arguments over the lackadaisical attitude of the Government of India towards curbing the ethnic violence which has roiled Manipur since May 3 last year and led to loss of hundreds of precious human lives and displacement of thousands of families.

So, by reminding the Government of India of its "historical, political, moral and legal" responsibility for defending Manipur, the MP from the tiny northeastern Indian state has underscored the urgent need to take up necessary steps for delineating citizens from non-citizens so as to deal with the "foreign elements" and "illegal immigrants" which are disturbing peace within the state effectively.

Whatever be the policy of the Government of India that restraints even its powerful security forces to remain aloof from the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Manipur so far, ignoring the suggestion for "separating the wheat from the chaff", which are fuelling the fire may come at a cost, especially in the light of changing geopolitical landscape in the region.

While we feel that Congress MP Dr Bimol Akoijam has done the right thing in reminding the Government of India of its "historical, political, moral and legal" responsibility towards defending Manipur in tune with the Instrument of Accession signed by the then Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh on August 11, 1947 and accepted by the then Gpvernor-General of India Lord Mountbatten on August 16, 1947, it is extremely amusing to know that the Government of India has reminded the BJP government in Manipur of its responsibility regarding another pressing issue in the state.

When Maharaja Leishemba Sanajaoba, who is a BJP MP from Manipur in the Rajya Sabha, raised a supplementary question in the Parliament on the slow progress of National Highway development projects in the state and demanded to know if any action had been taken up for expediting completion of the projects, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari was quick to turn the table by pointing out that the works have been hindered and disrupted not only by the current unrest but also due to the failure of the state government to resolve issue related to payment of compensation to the affected land owners.

While acknowledging importance of the two national highways passing through Manipur and the sensitive nature of the problems being faced including obstruction caused to contractors from carrying out their duties, the Union Minister also stressed the need for the MPs from the state, the chief minister and other government officials to work collectively for resolving all issues for swift and smooth construction work on the highways without any disturbance.

He assured that the projects could be completed successfully "if the state gives us cooperation". To cut a long story short, the BJP MP from Manipur in the Rajya Sabha may have taken up the issue of slow pace of the National Highway development projects out of genuine concern of the difficulties being faced by the people, but it has resulted in exposing shortcomings of the state government led by his own party.