Cong making the right noises : Needed: An effective Opposition
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 10, 2023 -

Making the right noises though it remains to be seen if this would be enough to make it an effective Opposition.

Obvious that the Congress has been making the right noises ranging from the alleged scam in the road construction works taken up under the PMGSY scheme, the demand that the case it has brought to 'light' be handed over to the CBI for a thorough and fair probe, to the concern raised over the drug menace and topping it off with the observation that Manipur has graduated from just being a transit route to now a drug manufacturing hub.

All serious issues and while it remains to be seen how the BJP led Government would have taken the issues raised by the Congress, it is nonetheless encouraging to note that the oldest political party in the country seems to have come around to the idea of what sitting on the Opposition bench should entail.

Not the first time that the Congress has addressed issues of public interest and if one remembers, it was at the forefront in making its stand clear that the existence of Manipur as a geo-political reality should not be compromised while inking any final deal with the NSCN (IM).

This was during the first stint of the BJP in power after the 2017 Assembly elections and with more than 25 MLAs then, it had the needed lung power to make the issues it had brought up vocal.

The vocal power however started petering off thanks to the penchant of some Congress MLAs back then to abandon the 'sinking ship'.

Came the 2022 Assembly election and the Congress returned with one of its lowest ever tallies in the House of 60 with just 5 MLAs, but it is heartening to note that the oldest political party has been dispensing its job as practically the lone Opposition in the House of 60.

Maybe it is the countrywide Bharat Jodo Yatra staged under Rahul Gandhi which has given that dose of energy to the State unit of the Congress here, but it is heartening to see the grand old party of the country taking up issues which concern the common people.

One hopes the Congress continues to play its' role as a responsible Opposition and this would certainly befit the party which has given Nehru, Patel, Tilak, Gokhale to the country.

Moreover it should not be forgotten that the party has also given political stalwarts such as the late Rishang Keishing, not to speak of having groomed many of the current political figures, to the State.

One hopes that the Congress is also able to make the right noises in so far the power and water supply scenario in the State is concerned.

In the run up to the 2017 Assembly election, the BJP had promised running tap water in all households and six years down the line and everyone knows where this assurance stands.

Even today, there are some localities, such as Thangmeiband, which has not received water supply for over a month.

The meter gauge is yet to be activated and last heard the said locality is supposed to receive water only once in 9 days.

This is a far cry from what was promised 6 years back. As for power supply, the reality must be clear to everyone.

These are issues which the Congress may take up for all these impact on the daily life of the common people.

Not every family can afford to have power gensets to supply them electricity when the power supply goes off in the middle of the night or when there is a family function.

Not every family can afford to build a water storage tank to store water.

Here it is also in line to mention that though water may be supplied via the underground water pipes installed by the roadside, the water pressure is such that it cannot reach those whose house is located a little away from the road.

Here the use of water pumps becomes necessary but then again this is dependent on power supply and not every family can afford to have a water pump.

As stated earlier, these are issues which the people expect the Opposition to raise for these issues directly impact the common people.

The Congress seems to be making the right noises so far and one hopes it continues this way and yes take up some of the points highlighted here.