Oust Nasir campaign
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 15, 2014 -

What exactly happened between Agriculture Minister Md Abdul Nasir and ZEO Thoubal on the fateful day of April 24 evening?

Perhaps, only the Minister and the ZEO would know.

But according to a faction of All Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur (ATSUM) led by Muan Tombing, which is leading a long drawn ‘Oust Minister Nasir Campaign’ with support from some tribal students/youths’ organisations, ZEO Thoubal David Tualzathang (some say, it is David Zamzathang) was summoned by the Minister at his official quarters and allegedly abused and humiliated him.

After the incident was reported in media and the vitriolic campaign for his ouster picked up momentum, Minister Nasir came up with a clarification through media on April 29 saying that he had just advised the ZEO, who is also the Chairman and Member Secretary of Lilong A/C School Monitoring Committee, to follow SSA guidelines with help from locals while implementing developmental tasks under SSA.

To the allegation of using provocative remarks against the ZEO, who happens to belong to a minority group, the Minister had further clarified that with he himself belonging to a minority community, that is Muslim community, there was no question of hurting the sentiment of another person belonging to a minority community.

What is left now is to hear the side of the story from the ZEO, who unfortunately has not yet spoken anything so far, that could clear the air of confusion over the whole issue.

But even before knowing or getting the chance to hear the stories from both sides, the campaign for ousting Minister Nasir has generated so much heat that has spilled over everywhere today.

Joining hands with the Tombing-led ATSUM group, which had already submitted a representation to the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes, various tribal students/youths’ organisations including Churachandpur District Students’ Union (CDSU); Federation of Tribal Youth Clubs, Manipur (FATYCM), Tangkhul Katamnao Long (TKS), etc have cried for the blood of the Minister.

These groups have also threatened to launch agitation against the State Government if their demand for removal of Minister Nasir from his post is not considered.

On the other side of this campaign, another ATSUM group and some other tribal student bodies including Tangkhul Katamnao Long, Imphal (TKLI) and Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) have come out strongly against blowing the incident out of proportion and categorically stated that rebuking or reprimanding a tribal official over some governmental matters does not amount to anti-tribal or anti-minority.

They have even gone to the extent of accusing ATSUM-Tombing group, which is spearheading the ‘Oust Minister Nasir Campaign’, of trying to gain some mileage by taking up a non-issue.

Well, it is not for us to decide which party is on the wrong side, but the interesting point to be noted here is that with each passing that the ‘Oust Minister Nasir Campaign’ is showing more chinks that it could conceal.

Perhaps, it is time for everyone concerned to end this mudslinging through media and give some respite to the reading public.