Unnerving time for Manipur Make Delhi trip meaningful !

Unnerving time. From Naga peace talk and its likely impact on Manipur, the pending Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) and the strong protest that has been sounded across the North East region under North East Forum of Indigenous People (NEFIP) with MANPAC being the torch bearer in Manipur and surely the issues besieging Manipur are serious, meriting the undivided attention of the people and obviously the State Government. Still not clear how things will unfold in the coming days but CAB is sure to be tabled in the Lok Sabha any day now with the BJP having been straight enough to announce that if voted back to power in the Parliamentary elections held in the early part of this year, CAB will be reintroduced. The Inner Parliamentary Constituency in Manipur sent the BJP candidate to the Lok Sabha despite the CAB promise and today it is the valley area, which falls under the Inner Constituency which has raised the loudest voice against any move to pass CAB. This is the disconnect that one sees and it should say something significant about the mentality of the people. So CAB and the pending final pact to the Naga peace process and though it was for just a brief moment, focus of the people shifted from the pending Naga final deal to the ‘blow hot, blow cold’ stand of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) over the call to boycott Sangai Festival to demonstrate its position in no uncertain terms to the Government, both at Imphal and New Delhi.
The confusion may have been merely for some hours but it had the potential to erode the credibility of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and more particularly of the leaders of COCOMI. This is a lesson that should not be forgotten in a hurry. Credibility. This is something which should be earned and the acidic comments that have been posted on the social media should be more than enough to tell the CSOs’ leaders that they cannot take the public for granted else there will not be anything substantial to differentiate them from the fly by night politicians who can change colour at the drop of the hat. At the moment, 18 members of COCOMI are at New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. One can expect the same assurance given earlier to Chief Minister N Biren and other political leaders and therefore the natural question that arises is how effectively the COCOMI members are able to convey the stand of the people and Manipur to the Union Home Minister. The responsibility is immense and one hopes the meeting is not reduced to a photo op session and a powerful and effective stand is conveyed. Let the Delhi trip be meaningful.