Efforts on to bring peace amid sporadic violence
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 12, 2023 -

WITH exception of reporting on the prevailing situation in Manipur to Union home minister Amit Shah there is nothing substantial that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma could do to help resolve the crisis.

Himanta, who is also the convenor of BJP-led North East Demo-cratic Alliance, arrived for some hours, met his Manipur counter-part N Biren, latter's ministerial colleagues and BJP state func-tionaries as well as representatives of civil societies to deliberate on issues besieging the state.

Regardless of the Assam CM's crammed schedule of holding consultations with the concerned stakeholders it's unlikely that he could have gathered all relevant information for the simple reason that views and consensus of all the parties in dispute is imperative to identify the core problem of the crisis, which Himanta missed.

Nevertheless, in-spite of the consultation process limited to handful of ministers, party leaders and only the Meetei civil organisations, the fact he came here to oversee the prevailing situation indicates that the central government has been ex-ploring all options available to restore peace and tranquillity in the state where sporadic violence has been continuing even after the home minister assured to do the needful for creating conducive environment to subside the tension.

While continuation of violence amid efforts by the central and state governments for bringing peace implies that the situation has aggravated and the communities in con-flict are in no mood to let their guard down, the confidence building process must be sus-tained without which it needs no reminding that tension will linger and the situation go out of control.

Himanta's visit also assumes significance, as he is known as the point-man for the central leadership as and when trouble brews within the party set-up in the northeast region or dis-putes crop up between the states on border or other sensitive issues.

Interestingly, disclosure by a BJP leader privy to proceedings of the meeting that Himanta Biswa advised Manipur BJP not to hesitate to ask what is needed and he will make sure those requirements are met could be construed as sluggishness of the saffron party's leaders in the state to vividly present the case to the central leaders.

At the state level, handful of BJP leaders had issued statements condemning the violence and preaching peaceful co-existence.

However, posers being raised by the opposition as to why the BJP is yet to initiate punitive action against its MLAs involved in scheming to balkanise Manipur on ethnic lines under the garb of demanding separate administration leave room for suspicion that some within the party lack the commitment to end the violence for reasons best known to them.

As people of Manipur eagerly wait for the centre's next step and hope that Himanta's visit might result in some effective measures as he assured to report inputs from the meetings to Amit Shah for further necessary actions, it is suggested that security forces remain on high alert to prevent armed attacks and counter-offensives as the slightest instance of provocation would naturally trigger violent reaction considering the fact even civilians are already in possession of sophisticated weapons.