The need for a Cabinet Minister from Manipur in the Union Ministry
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 05 2011 -

It seems that a reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers is imminent. This in itself will mean next to nothing for the people of Manipur.

The reshuffle will have a direct bearing on Manipur only if it will result in the representation of the state. Manipur has three MPs, two in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha.

That it needs another seat to represent the valley is well known, but since the Government makes decisions not based on merit but on a quota basis, it keeps twiddling its thumbs asking what will xyz say if it accepts Manipur’s request.

Back to the reshuffle. The state may have only three MPs but they are all from the Congress. There is little to elaborate on this significance. In over 60 years Manipur has been represented in the Union's Council of Ministers thrice.

RK Jaichandra led the way followed by Meijinlung Kamson and Thounaojam Chaoba. All three were Ministers of State. Of these three only one made a mark on the national scene.

But these are happenings of the past. What we need now is a minister in the union cabinet. If there is a conscious decision to sideline Manipur, so be it, but for heaven's sake let the reasoning not be based on the baseless foundation that it could not be done because other NE states will demand the same.

This sort of explanation is morbid. Manipur has excelled in sports, and its cultural heritage is enthralling and captivating.

Are these deserving accolades then to be watered down to satisfy those who do not fall in the same category. And this is no mere haranguing, there are actual developments to award non performers in the region, both in sports and culture.

On a political plane, the decision to induct a minister in the union cabinet will go a long way to assuage the deep felt distrust of the centre by the people in large.

It will be a confidence building measure. Let the people have something to say for their unstinted loyalty to the concept of the Indian nation for six decades.

There could be only one reasonable argument to marginalize Manipur's representation in the Union Cabinet. That is, based on merit there are no worthwhile contenders, but this is easily negotiated, India has made it a regular habit of placing the wrong sort of people in high offices.

There is this amusing story when a Dalit was made the Deputy Speaker in the assembly of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. Morarji Desai was the Chief Minister and he had strongly objected to the choice of the candidate.

However, on Jawaharlal Nehru's insistence, the man was made Deputy Speaker. As luck would have it, this man had to preside over a session. There was an elaborate account being tabled by a minister while one MLA kept interrupting.

The Deputy Speaker turned to the interrupting MLA and said, 'Please, let me finish him first, and then I will finish you'. So much for this muck of efficiency.