'Will take time to resolve crisis' : But what is being done now ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 12, 2024 -

The Chief Minister has admitted that resolving the crisis will take time and while this is granted, one wonders what steps Delhi and Imphal have taken to resolve the same, even if it takes time.

Remember violence erupted in all its ugliness in the evening of May 3, 2023 and so far there is nothing much to suggest that anything meaningful has been taken up to address and resolve the issue.

Apart from pumping in more Central security forces, what other steps has Delhi taken up to normalise the life of the people ?

Border fencing Will take time, is the line maintained by the Chief Minister and while this is perfectly understandable, the question of greater import is whether this will help in resolving the violence.

Will the Meiteis feel free to take the Imphal-Dimapur route by road once the border fencing is completed ?

Will the Kukis will free and secure to return to Imphal once the border is fenced? Will the Meitei families be able to return to Churachandpur to the place they once called home once the border is completely fenced?

No answer is expected, but the very fact that these questions have been raised should be under- stood against the fact that these posers are very real and reflect the reality.

Border fencing will prevent cross border movement of people and check illegal immigration, no doubt, but who will guard the border once the fence comes up?

How about those who managed to enter Manipur before the border is fenced? The Government may point to NRC to identify and weed out those who entered the place after a certain cut' off base year, which may be 1961 or 1951, but has Delhi even given the slightest hint that it is ready to go ahead with the NRC exercise?

The State Government must answer this question, and should not take refuge behind the line, 'NRC will take time'. And talking about efforts to resolve the issue, what has happened to the much publicised meeting held between Kuki-Zo MLAs and the MLAs belonging to the Meitei and Naga community some time back at New Delhi under the aegis of the Union Home Ministry?

Or was it a one day affair, with nothing to show what was discussed or what are the points that Manipur put up during the meeting?

Remember the Kuki-Zo MLAs stated that they made it clear that for any meeting to be meaningful the demand for a Separate Administration must be on the agenda.

What points did the Meitei MLAs put forward during the Delhi meeting?

Not the first time that these questions are being raised, but the distinct feeling that the people of Manipur were taken for a ride by the much publicised meeting cannot be written off and if the BJP led Government at Imphal is under the impression that the people can be hoodwinked into believing that something is being done to resolve the issue, then nothing will get more farcical than this.

For the last few days, the guns seem to have gone silent, but is this any guarantee that Manipur has started walking the road towards normalcy?

Remember the 'situation is improving' line that was sought to be sold to the people not so long back and this is the very reason why questions need to be raised every now and then.

Resolving the crisis will take time, this is a given, but it is important to question what steps have been taken up to bring a sort of normalcy?

The guns going silent cannot be truly equated to normalcy returning and this is where the Government will need to do more, that is if it has been doing anything towards this end.

It should also be more than obvious that Imphal cannot do anything concrete to resolve the issue and what is needed is for New Delhi to take a more proactive role.

Simply saying that the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister are being kept updated is not going to find any takers anymore.

Nineteen months is long, very long and Manipur has been under a state of war for 19 months.

The people and the place continue to be divided by buffer zones which today criss cross the entire length and breadth of the State and none of the ten Kuki-Zo MLAs have felt it safe to attend the proceedings of the Assembly in Imphal.

No Kuki officer or Kuki Government employee attend office at Imphal and likewise no Meitei employee is there either at Kangpokpi or Churachandpur.

And it has been like this for over the past 19 months with Delhi continuing with its indifference.

Imphal does not seem ready to accept this reality and this is something which has not gone down well with the people at all.

Or if Delhi is sincere, let it tell the over 60,000 Central troops to make the Imphal-Dimapur route safe for everyone to travel.