Interesting barbs between allies No punches pulled
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 17, 2022 -

The no pulled punches are interesting and so are the jibes.

The great election tamasha is on and what has added that extra zing to the atmosphere are the not so witty off the cuff remarks, the ludicrous stand of righteousness, the no holds barb against each other etc and interestingly it is not so much about the open verbal duel between the two major political parties-the BJP and the Congress-but the barbs between former so and so members of a political party, the foul cry from intending candidates of a political party going full steam against the same party after he or she was overlooked in the list of candidates, the hitting words between members of different political parties but which are partners in the Government and the list goes on.

Welcome to the Manipur version of the dance of democracy, all held under democracy, where everything seems to be free and fair in the rush for power.

So it is that one sees candidates of a political party going all out against another party which in fact is a coalition partner in the same Government and suddenly one is left wondering who is to be held responsible for the discontentment one sees against the coalition Government.

If one is so dissatisfied with the party with whom it is in a coalition partnership to form the Government why stick with it for five full years and cry foul only now ?

Such a situation is a reality that is fast being played out in the public sphere and there is nothing funny or remotely comical about such a situation.

Exposes the minds of the people who have been heading the Government for the last five years, steering the course of the State and the people for this period of time.

No wonder, on more than one occasion it became extremely difficult to say whether a political party is in the coalition Government or is there to pick holes on the party which is leading the coalition Government.

It is amid this not so funny comical drama that people will vote on February 28 and March 5 and one wonders when all these will end.

Maybe race to be in the seat of power has blinded all to the reality that there is nothing jocular or tasteful about the drama that is being enacted for public consumption.

It may be seen as a squabble between partners in Government and here it is interesting to note that for some time, Manipur has been witnessing and hearing Chief Minister N Biren and State BJP president Sharda Devi proclaiming that the objective of the saffron party is to see an only BJP Government, with the Chief Minister having spelt out the inconveniences of heading a coalition Government.

In an obvious attempt to take the war of words to the courtyard of the BJP, the NPP has not been left behind in proclaiming that it will head the next coalition Government.

Trying to go one up over the other may be in line with electoral politics but when one starts deriding the same partner in Government, then this is where the farcical elements may be said to creep in.

Only when the results start rolling in will people get to know which way the dice will roll and it wouldn’t be surprising if the same coalition partners, which have been engaged in a verbal duel with each other, decide to sup together after the election !

This is about the coalition partners and amid this it is interesting to see the Congress lining up what it calls star campaigners for the second phase.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has already set the ball rolling for the Congress in questioning what the BJP led Government has done for Manipur in the last 5 years.

Soon, one may expect the BJP leadership to question what the Congress did for Manipur in the 15 years it was in power at Imphal !

Verbal duels and throwing blames around, this is what has made the run up to voting day all that more interesting.