Ahead of Assemly polls For whom the bells toll

In about 7 months Manipur will go to polls and it will decide whether the saffron party will return to power or not here. Given the way the BJP has swept to power all over, starting from the 2014 Parliamentary elections to the 2019 elections the party seems to be in a good position. After all in Manipur it is all about which party is in Delhi decides which party comes to office in Imphal. The interesting question is what are the things that the people of Manipur want. Difficult to say but let  The Sangai Express has its say. This is the first  time that TSE  is going to use the personal pronoun and let it be to good effect. August 15 saw no life on the streets and roads of Imphal. The question  is, was it due to the restrictions placed by the Government (Covid) or the underground outfits ? This is a question which everyone  should start asking themselves. To the UG groups, is it a question of staying at home cause the people identify with their call or is it because of fear ? And is it because of the fear of the policemen out on the streets or because of the boycott call ? These questions are important. Time for the Government to think why there is a boycott call everytime August 15 arrives. People’s Government should mean going the extra mile to talk with the groups boycotting Independence Day of India. And for the Naharols too, isn’t it time to engage in some type of talk ? The NSCN (IM) is doing it. Nobody wants war or confrontations anymore.
This is what the people would want. There was a time when the then Governor of Manipur Dr Sidhu called the underground  cadres ‘dissatisfied brethren’ back on the occasion of Republic Day in 2005 and here is a pearl of wisdom which has not been picked up by successive Governments. In response to this, the UNLF replied with the ‘Plesbicite’ call prompting the late Haobam Bhubon to challenge the plesbicite call. An opportunity which the Government of India lost. This is how opportunities have been lost and this is where Government of India should look back and rectify past mistakes. The late Governor had his say and it is a pity that the Government of the day did not take note of it. The BJP is in power at New Delhi and at Imphal too. Time now to look at the insurgency movement from a new angle. So long as  Independence Day and Republic Day are boycotted, the idea of India as a Nation and a country would not be complete. This is a point which Narendra Modi and Amit Shah should take note of with all the seriousness it deserves. So should Manipur witness another deserted roads on January 26 next year ? The answer lies with the leadership at New Delhi and from across the border.