Dr Shimreingam L. Shimray Eastern Theological College The present state of life in Manipur is viewed as horrible and terrible because problems are jumbled up and innocent people are finding too difficult to understand the situation. Can you imagine to know the prospect and causes of olive green uniformed people marched from all directions towards Manipur to wage war. No, no one can. But war for what? Oh! May be against the Economic Blockade imposed by the UNC since November 1 2016. But for what such imposition? It was imposed as it had no other means to protest against the power of State to create new districts against the will of the people involved in it and also against the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government of Manipur with UNC, ANSAM in 1981, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2011 that Manipur State will not create any new district without consulting the Nagas (the stakeholders) but in the case of the December 8, 2016 Cabinet Decision to create seven new states was without the knowledge of the stakeholders for which while some people were happy many others were confused of what was happening and where they will be pushed to. Because of the blockade, the President and Information Secretary of UNC are jailed for many days now. It is understandable that there must have been shortage of essential commodities in the Manipur valley. As a means to counter the economic blockade of the UNC, the valley based Meiteis have executed certain amount of senseless acts like burning more than 30 private and passenger cars and few passenger buses besides burning all the belonging of those stranded passengers amounting to crores of rupees and holding them like refugees at Manipur Rifles compound and to pacify the angry hearts of the stranded passengers the Chief Minister is said to have distributed rs. 2000 per head. But the worst of all is that in the name of counter blockade the Meiteis of between Lamlong and Yaingangpokpi have used JCB to destroy the Imphal-Ukhrul national highway, damaged bridges and blocked. Such acts are a crime to the nation. While I do not intend to justify one against the other it the right of the nation and its people to know the facts of the situation. Who is doing greater harm to humanity and to the nation? At the end of the third term of Congress government in Manipur when the next Assembly Elections are approaching very near why in the name of Administrative Convenience had to create seven districts at one go. Was that for administration or simply reacting to the protest of the UNC? Why the State government failed to consult with the stakeholders while deciding to create new districts which is very necessary. What can be done now for the purpose of correcting the wrong? Perhaps, we have only two options:
1. Let the State be ruled by the President of India till the elections in 2017 and
2. Roll back the Assembly decision to create seven new districts as it was against the signatures of the people who represented the State to sign MoU in those years indicated.
