Timing of the stand of UPF, KNO Delhi Durbar
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One has to give it to them. The United People’s Front (UPF) and the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) have mastered the art of ‘striking out at the right moment’ and nothing illustrates this better than the media statement issued just one day before BJP MLAs from Manipur were set to meet the high command of the BJP at Delhi. ‘Re-integration’ is the term the two umbrella organisations of the Kuki armed groups have used and this is a vile choice of term. The use of this term means that Manipur stands fragmented, nothing less. Giving a deeper meaning to the understanding of buffer zones which were drawn up under the instruction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the initial days of the bloody conflict. And the buffer zones continue to stand to this day. At the time the commentary is being penned down, the meeting between the BJP MLAs of Manipur and the Central leaders are reportedly underway and while it is not known what points may be discussed, the little information that The Sangai Express has been able to get from Delhi is, the meeting is underway between the MLAs and BJP North East in charge Sambit Patra and general secretary of the saffron party BL Santosh. No question of ‘reintegration with Manipur’ is the line the UPF and the KNO reportedly made during the second round of the tripartite talks held between the representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, officials of the Government of Manipur and representatives of the two outfits at New Delhi recently. The timing, the tone of the one line statement says it all and that is the UPF and the KNO know when to come out in the public domain. One is made to believe that this is the line that was put up during the meeting recently and so should say something profound about the preparedness of the Kuki groups in presenting their case before Delhi. One wonders whether the BJP MLAs of Manipur will be able to put up anything concrete before the Central BJP leaders if one goes by the talk doing the round that the meeting may centre around the return of the popularly elected Government. Will the return of a popular Government be able to deal with the moves initiated by the UPF and the KNO and backed by Kuki civil society organisations, particularly the Kuki Inpi, Manipur ? Or is this another case of the UPF and the KNO just making some noise for sound effect with nothing of substance ? Whatever it is, the very fact that a prominent Kuki civil organisation like the Kuki Inpi, Manipur has jumped in to back to stand of the UPF and KNO should say something significant.
As repeatedly stated in this column, the focus and attention of the MLAs should be on how to work out means and steps that may be presented before Delhi to take Manipur closer to the understanding of normalcy. At the moment, this does not seem to figure high on their agenda, for the focus seems to be more on the return of the popularly elected Government. It is also important for Manipur to study who the BJP MLAs manage to meet in Delhi. Will BJP National president JP Nadda have the time and the inclination to meet the MLAs ? If yes, good and proper, but if not then who are the likely Central BJP leaders the MLAs may manage to meet ? If one goes by the reports in the last few days, the MLAs were reportedly asked to come to Delhi by the office of JP Nadda, but one cannot help but ask whether it is going to be a case of the BJP National president arranging the meeting with some other BJP leaders ? Whatever the case, it is not often that State BJP leaders get a chance to meet the top leaders of the saffron party at Delhi and any meeting, such as the one which is currently underway at Delhi, is the right opportunity for the MLAs to put up a concrete case which would be favourable to Manipur. The only thing is whether the BJP MLAs have done their homework well and in consultation with each other or not. Or is it going to be a case of each MLA having their own say or just listen to what Delhi has to say and return home ? This is where Manipur would need to get her priorities right and the first thing that is needed is to take some concrete steps towards normalcy as universally understood.
As repeatedly stated in this column, the focus and attention of the MLAs should be on how to work out means and steps that may be presented before Delhi to take Manipur closer to the understanding of normalcy. At the moment, this does not seem to figure high on their agenda, for the focus seems to be more on the return of the popularly elected Government. It is also important for Manipur to study who the BJP MLAs manage to meet in Delhi. Will BJP National president JP Nadda have the time and the inclination to meet the MLAs ? If yes, good and proper, but if not then who are the likely Central BJP leaders the MLAs may manage to meet ? If one goes by the reports in the last few days, the MLAs were reportedly asked to come to Delhi by the office of JP Nadda, but one cannot help but ask whether it is going to be a case of the BJP National president arranging the meeting with some other BJP leaders ? Whatever the case, it is not often that State BJP leaders get a chance to meet the top leaders of the saffron party at Delhi and any meeting, such as the one which is currently underway at Delhi, is the right opportunity for the MLAs to put up a concrete case which would be favourable to Manipur. The only thing is whether the BJP MLAs have done their homework well and in consultation with each other or not. Or is it going to be a case of each MLA having their own say or just listen to what Delhi has to say and return home ? This is where Manipur would need to get her priorities right and the first thing that is needed is to take some concrete steps towards normalcy as universally understood.