Making them fall in line A wag of the finger should do
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Truth be told, all it needs is a wag of the finger from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the powers behind the hoarse cry of the Kuki-Zo organisations opposing Government formation would fall in line. The rider is whether the Centre entertains any idea on letting the popularly elected Government return or not. Politically the BJP, as a political party, has everything to lose if it continues with the present arrangement and obviously the first test will come in 2027 when Manipur goes to polls. It is a dicey situation for the saffron party for on one side the situation is far from normal with nothing much to suggest that the return of the popularly elected Government would be able to do something concrete. On the other hand, the saffron party will need to study its prospects in Manipur and to be sure the continuation of the PR regime will not exactly place it in an enviable position here, a situation which the other political parties, the Congress in Assam and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal are likely to play to the hilt to score points where it matters. And the two States are set to go to polls sometime in April/May this year. That direct Central intervention has not succeeded in taking Manipur anywhere near the understanding of normalcy is a given, best exemplified by the dastardly murder of M Rishikanta on January 21, which was videographed and uploaded on the net, so will the return of a popular Government help in making things better ? Or if the Centre continues with the present arrangement, wouldn’t it be seen as playing into the hands of the Kuki-Zo organisations which for long have opposed any move to march towards normalcy ? This question should be understood in the backdrop of the fact that all it would need is for Union Home Minister Amit Shah to lift a finger and tell the Kuki-Zo organisations to fall in line. This brings one back to the question raised here earlier and that is whether Delhi is agreeable to the idea of letting the popularly elected Government return. And as always this question should also be seen along with the line, ‘Where does the BJP want to be in Manipur, five or ten years down the line.’ Wouldn’t continuing with PR amount to literally creating the right space for the Congress to make a big comeback ? To be sure all these questions must be in the minds of the BJP leadership in Delhi and what stands true is the coming of PR has not helped Manipur go closer to normalcy. To be fair, the return of the popular Government will also not guarantee normalcy for Manipur, but it should not be forgotten that at least representatives from the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos would come under the same umbrella. The umbrella of a popular Government and a coalition one at that. And it is on this premise that many have raised the call for the return of a popular Government. That some Kuki-Zo organisations have gone against any move for Government formation should be more than enough for Delhi to understand who exactly wants to keep the fire burning.
The talk at the moment amongst the people in Imphal is, when or if the popularly elected Government would return. The stress is equally on ‘When’ and ‘If’ and little wonder then that Delhi has become the favourite choice of word for many now. January, 2026 is on its last leg and in two/three days the world will step into the second month of 2026, and each day means taking one more step towards the one year mark since PR was imposed in Manipur. The situation that Delhi finds itself in today cannot be enviable for anyone, for here is a case of PR having failed to deliver results, results which can be seen and experienced, and a case of Manipur fast marching towards 2027, the year the place is set to go in for polls. How Delhi plays its card will go a long way in determining where the saffron party stands in the eyes of the public, the people who will have the final say on which political party calls the shots after the 2027 Assembly elections. That Delhi has failed to give the healing touch need not be emphasised here, for it is out there in the open, but can the saffron party afford to provide the space to the Congress to return in the reckoning of the people ? The answer lies in the silence/indifference after May 3, 2023, the out of bounds National Highways and more recently the night of January 21, 2026 at Churachandpur. Course correction for the BJP is urgently called for.
The talk at the moment amongst the people in Imphal is, when or if the popularly elected Government would return. The stress is equally on ‘When’ and ‘If’ and little wonder then that Delhi has become the favourite choice of word for many now. January, 2026 is on its last leg and in two/three days the world will step into the second month of 2026, and each day means taking one more step towards the one year mark since PR was imposed in Manipur. The situation that Delhi finds itself in today cannot be enviable for anyone, for here is a case of PR having failed to deliver results, results which can be seen and experienced, and a case of Manipur fast marching towards 2027, the year the place is set to go in for polls. How Delhi plays its card will go a long way in determining where the saffron party stands in the eyes of the public, the people who will have the final say on which political party calls the shots after the 2027 Assembly elections. That Delhi has failed to give the healing touch need not be emphasised here, for it is out there in the open, but can the saffron party afford to provide the space to the Congress to return in the reckoning of the people ? The answer lies in the silence/indifference after May 3, 2023, the out of bounds National Highways and more recently the night of January 21, 2026 at Churachandpur. Course correction for the BJP is urgently called for.