When push comes to shove : Interesting tough talk, Mr Singh
- Sangai Express Editorial :: January 21, 2014 -

When push comes to shove then it is time to take a tough stand. Mr Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary (In-charge of North East) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, seems to have fallen back on this, but there is a gulf of difference between talking tough and taking a tough but not harsh stand.

In an exclusive talk with Vision Communications and which was carried in the January 20 edition of this paper, Mr Singh talked tough, especially against the declaration of the United Naga Council that they would soon be launching a series of mass agitation, including boycotting the upcoming Republic Day as well as imposing a ban on all Centrally sponsored projects particularly the Trans-Asian railway line and the 400 KV transmission line.

UNC and other hill based organisations taking recourse to such line of action is old hat for this is not the first time that ban on Central sponsored projects, especially the Imphal-Jiri rail line has been imposed.

In fact Manipur has been at the receiving end of numerous forms of agitation launched by hill based organisations, including the UNC. The 52 days economic blockade of 2005, the more than 60 days of economic blockade in 2010 and the more than 100 days of highway blockade in 2011 are examples that come to mind.

It remains to be seen how Delhi follows up on the tough talk of Mr Singh, but recent history is witness to the fact that the Centre has always been treating such types of agitation, which not only adversely affect the people but also deepen the divide amongst the different communities, with velvet gloves.

This is an observation that is not plucked from thin air. The assertion of the UNC that they would boycott the Republic Day celebration seems to have peeved Mr Singh no end, if his statement that such a stand has ‘secessionist overtones’ is anything to go by.

The amusing part is, it is on record that the UNC has made their declarations on the premise that the Centre and the State Government have repeatedly reneged on its assurance to take forward the talk on the Alternative Arrangement demand raised by them.

The Sangai Express has repeatedly out that other than the UNC, Imphal and Delhi have not been clear at all about the talks on the demand for an Alternative Arrangement.

Yet six rounds of talk have already been held. Something, somewhere is amiss and this is what is unacceptable.

In making this observation, The Sangai Express is in no way endorsing the stand of the UNC. Rather it is a call for all the parties to be clear on what is going on and obviously bring the finer points to the public domain.

It is this lack of clarity and absence of transparency that is hard to digest. It would have made the ‘tough talk’ of Mr Singh all that more credible, if he had had the gumption and the sincerity to come clean on what the Alternative Arrangement is all about.

So far the people of Manipur, including the Naga community, which the UNC claims to represent have been told about the Alternative Arrangement only from the perspectives of the UNC.

What is your take on it, is a question that can be put before Mr Singh and the men sitting in the corridors of power, read the Union Home Ministry.

Is a political level talk with a civil society organisation feasible ? There has been no answer to this so far, with Delhi playing around with words and actually shying away from coming out with a straight forward answer.

There is no doubt that what the UNC is demanding is closely associated with the ongoing political dialogue between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM).

But does this qualify for a civil society organisation to throw its hat into the ring and demand a political level talk on Alternative Arrangement ?

This sounds a bit far fetched but what is more intriguing is the manner in which Delhi has been horsing around with the issue. The State Government too should make its stand known to the people.

Confusing the people may work to a certain extent but it would amount to insulting the intelligence of the people, if Delhi and Imphal are under the impression that they can walk away with it.

As for the UNC, better sense should prevail for the series of agitation they have lined up are anti-people and anti-development.