Front page news: Visit of Patra : He came but did he see ?
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 07, 2025 -

Patra calls on ex-CM Biren, Speaker Satyabrata, MLA Khemchand :: Pix - TSE

It was front page news and jostled for space with another equally important development in all the Imphal based newspapers.

Sambit Patra was the man and it was his visit to Manipur that hogged the limelight even before he actually landed here at the BT International Airport.

Of equal interest to the people was also the news from the Supreme Court which has reportedly sought a fresh forensic report and the man at the centre of this is ex-Chief Minister N Biren.

The next hearing at the Supreme Court is due on July 21 and many things may be read into the directive of the Supreme Court to seek a fresh forensic report and Manipur will have to wait till then to see the following developments, which will certainly be interesting.

This much is clear but what is not very clear is the exact reason for the much publicised visit of Sambit Patra.

Unclear it is, but a reading of the political situation and the unresolved conflict since the evening of May 3, 2023 would surely point to the visit of Patra as something inextricably linked to the over two year old conflict as well as the ongoing President's Rule.

An arrangement which has been in effect since February 13 after N Biren was made to put in his paper as the Chief Minister of Manipur.

The question then doing the round is whether the visit of the man who is in charge of the North East of the saffron party will see any fresh development or whether things will remain as it is.

This question must be seen in the backdrop of the fact that from the day Manipur went up in flames in the evening of May 3, 2023, Patra has been the pointman of the BJP.

And the significance of the one day visit of the man in charge of the North East may be seen in the manner in which he first flew to Churachandpur and met Churachandpur AC MLA LM Khaute and Thanlon AC MLA Vungzagin Valte.

What was discussed has not been spelt out to the media, but it is important to note that other than the two MLAs, Patra took time out to meet representatives of the Kuki-Zo Council and the Zomi Council as well.

It is also significant to note that Patra went to the residence of ex-Chief Minister N Biren, the residence of Speaker Th Satyabrata and the residence of MLA Yumnam Khemchand while he met the other BJP MLAs at Hotel Imphal.

While NDTV did report that the BJP MLAs were asked to come to the Hotel, The Sangai Express could not confirm whether the MLAs were summoned or went to meet the man in charge of North East.

This point is important for it could say so many things.

Again it is not clear what points were discussed during the meeting, but it is significant that while Patra met CSO members of the Kuki-Chin-Zo community, there is no report of any meeting with CSOs based at Imphal or the other valley districts.

Those who have been minutely following the gestures of Delhi must have noted this point.

Even as nothing in black and white has been given on the purpose of Patra's visit to Manipur, many are seeing it beyond the unresolved crisis with a significant report coming in that Assembly Speaker Satyabrata and MLA Y Khemchand were asked to take all MLAs all along for the next Government formation.

It was with a reason why The Sangai Express felt it necessary to present the said information as a box item, complete with a colour background.

No one knows when a popular Government would return, and perhaps it is this which piqued the interests of so many in the visit of Sambit Patra, perhaps the first by a man who has something to do with the North East, after the State came under President's Rule.

This is not to say that too many things must be read into the visit of Patra, for the number one priority of the people is to see Manipur walking the road of normalcy.

And it is precisely because of this that all the Imphal based newspapers took a keen interest in his visit to Churachandpur and to Kangpokpi.

How things progress from here remains to be seen and no one exactly knows whether the BJP MLAs who met Patra presented any roadmap that may be studied to take Manipur to the road of normalcy or whether the meeting focused on the installation of a popular Government.

Thanks to its good showing in the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP has the number to be in power, but the question of importance to Manipur and her people is whether the coming of a new popular Government will take any step towards resolving the unresolved issues which have paralysed the State and her people for over two years.