Well co-ordinated rallies across dists : Something fishy !
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 08 2018 -

Well co-ordinated rallies, spread across different districts, from Imphal to Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Senapati, Ukhrul, calling for normalcy to be restored at Manipur University.

Nothing wrong with this, but it gets kind of ‘murky’ when one does not really know whose hand was behind the rallies organised at different districts on the same day at about the same time.

The co-ordination was almost perfect, enough to shame even the most meticulously planned operations.

No one is talking about one particular rally here, but it is difficult to even entertain the idea that the body which organised the rally at Churachandpur would have been able to organise the same at Ukhrul and Senapati on the same day at about the same time !

The funny part is while the organisers in the hill districts were named, no one seems to know who organised the rally at Imphal.

This question will most probably remain unanswered for reasons which must be obvious to all, but this is certainly not the way to go about dealing with the current impasse at Manipur University.

Far from convincing anyone to call off the ongoing agitation, this can have an adverse impact on the situation and though the rally did speak about the need to save the future of the young students, who are yet to receive their Semester 6 exam results, it can only give more substance to the agitators to harden their stand.

Wonder how the organiser/s of the rallies came out with such a ‘brilliant’ idea, oblivious of the fact that the bluff can easily be called.

One significant point raised in the written slogans in the rallies was to save MU from politics, but the very rally was full of ‘politics.’

Anyone with an iota of intelligence would have seen through the agenda of the rally and this is something not acceptable at all.

It is more than clear that AP Pandey will not go without a fight.

The BJP led Government at New Delhi has ensured that.

Protect our man, is the line that the BJP led Government has adopted and the natural question that follows is, what now ? Nothing is looking right at the moment.

The All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur, All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur and the Kuki Students’ Organisation have already announced their decision to enforce a 48 hour bandh in the hill areas from the wee hours of August 10 till late in the night on August 11, demanding that normalcy be restored at Manipur University.

The question is, will this see another round of student organisations being pitched against each other ?

It is a co-incidence, no doubt, but it was under the same circumstances that AP Pandey was appointed as the VC of Manipur University some time in 2016.

To shift focus from AP Pandey Vs the university community via MUSU, MUTA and MUSA to MUSU Vs hill based student organisations would be a tragedy and all should take note of this.

What is the position of the State Government over this particular case ?

Remember the BJP led Government came to power riding on the slogan of ‘no bandh, no blockade.’

The Centre too should stop playing the ‘our man’ game and go one up over the question of political affiliation.

The sanctity of the office of the VC should be respected by all and for starters New Delhi may start by setting up the inquiry panel under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952.