Witoubou Newmai
The “please one, dump the other” approach of successive Manipur Governments which has often resulted in disastrous ramification in the past, is unfolding yet again.
In such a situation, it is pertinent to question what Manipur Government has done to earn the trust of the Nagas and the Kukis in the State. If current imbroglio is all the Government has to offer, then the people cannot be blamed for nurturing the labyrinthine issues germinated from the poor handling of the situation by the government.
The most misleading rhetoric of the Manipur Government is the continuous parroting of “communal harmony” when it really ignores the chord that promotes the same. The rhetoric has been the standard smokescreen of Government’s policy of pitting one section against another to serve its own interest over the years.
Today, the Sadar Hills issue is boiling again as a consequence of this smokescreen policy. The prevailing situation is a concern for everyone. If the situation is not handled carefully, it may go out of control leading to unpredictable but catastrophic consequences.
The United Naga Council (UNC) has hardened its position on the ongoing indefinite economic-blockade over Sadar Hills and Jiribam district creation issue while the pro-Sadar Hills group has given three days’ time to the Government to ‘act’ on its demand. Both the lobbies are accusing the Manipur Government of betrayal.
The people also have every reason to be unhappy with the Central Government. Media, at all levels, has been reporting the looming catastrophe for several days, but it has cut no ice with the centre. The response of the Central Government has been insipid, at best.
With the Manipur Assembly election due in few months’ time, the lukewarm dealings of New Delhi with the highly charged situation is therefore put under severe scrutiny. Is the Centre waiting for the needed environment in Manipur to impose the President’s Rule for the vantage of the Saffron wave?
Going by the recent trend, the Central Government is not utilizing its resourceful resources to arrest the volatile situation in Manipur. The Centre’s indifference to the situation, perhaps, also confirms the ‘step-motherly treatment’ tag labeled to it by people from the State.
On the other hand, the Nagas and the Kukis, a victim of vote bank politics of the Manipur Government, has often resorted to drastic means of agitation against the State Government. In desperation, often they reluctantly employ economic blockade on highways against the ‘pressure oblige’ Manipur Government, the only language the latter understands.
However, it is the proverbial that in any economic blockade, the common man is hit the hardest. With the counter blockade supporters barring goods from going to the hill districts of Manipur, the situation may deteriorate in the coming days.
The Manipur Government may also resort of other forceful measures to fetch goods from outside.
In such eventuality, rather than seeking a solution to the situation, one can only expect more complications. The prudent intervention of the Central Government is imperative to resolve the current imbroglio.
