Flexing muscle on the roads of Imphal Drill some sense into the netas
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It does not make sense and this is an insult to the sensibilities of the people. A few days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the public to save energy as much as possible and advocated work from home, urged all to use public transport as much as possible, abort the idea of travelling abroad, and not to buy gold for the time being, all because of the global energy crisis but this call apparently has refused to cut ice with the political netas of Manipur. Makes absolutely no sense for the political netas to announce their movement on the road with 10/20 security escorts, while the common men and women are told to make way or stop and wait by the roadside for the convoy of the political netas to move ahead without any hassles. Making things worse is the fact that even while this commentary is being written down, many of the petrol outlets in Imphal have put up the Petrol Nil sign while in some others there are queues and queues of people waiting to refuel their vehicles. No point in announcing that the man or woman moving on the road is a neta with their security bandobast and loud sirens and waving away the common man and woman out of the way and make way for the political neta. One does not need to announce the presence of the Government or the men and women who run it on the road with their over the top security arrangements and escorts running into the double digit mark. Instead make the presence of the Government felt by cracking down on those who have made life hell for the common people for over three years. Make the presence of the Government clear by hunting down those who are presently holding people hostages. This should cut both ways and the manner in which people are being so easily picked up and held hostage conveys the message that there is no Government in place. On the other hand, and as stated earlier here, the presence of the Government is primarily felt when any of these netas feel the need to move around with their huge security escorts. The fuel situation is not likely to change with the Kuki Inpi, Manipur having just announced that the highway blockade has been extended by another 48 hours. What is the Government planning to deal with the situation ? Or, on a lighter note, is the case of the highway blockade going to be handed over to the NIA ? The energy and focus of the Government should be on resolving the highway blockade right now plus the safe release of the hostages held on either side and not on the roads and streets of Imphal and at places the netas want to visit, for whatever reason it may be.
Haughtiness and incompetence is writ large on the Government and this is something which Imphal should acknowledge and see how to initiate the process of setting things right. For one, make sure that the Government is there for the people and make sure that the touch with the people is strengthened. And surely haughtiness cannot be part of the approach. And the first step to becoming more competent would be to understand the pulse of the people. Let the Government reach out with a sense of empathy. Demonstrate that it understands the plight of the people, a people who have had to live for over three years in a state where certain areas are marked as off limits. Also acknowledge that such areas are spreading. If no Meitei can go by road from Imphal to Dimapur, today no Tangkhul can cross Litan to come to Imphal. Likewise no Kuki can come to Imphal to go to the airport and take a flight to Guwahati, Delhi, or Kolkata. A situation which has dragged on since the evening of May 3, 2023 and it is in the face of such a reality that the Government does not care to think even once on how it would have gone down with the people when they announce the movement of the netas with 10/20 security escorts, even as people have to line up at the petrol pumps to refuel their vehicle. Manipur needs a Government that emphatises with the plight of the common people and surely this is not asking for too much. All it needs is for the netas to climb down from their high horses and acknowledge that the people out there are human beings, much like them.
Haughtiness and incompetence is writ large on the Government and this is something which Imphal should acknowledge and see how to initiate the process of setting things right. For one, make sure that the Government is there for the people and make sure that the touch with the people is strengthened. And surely haughtiness cannot be part of the approach. And the first step to becoming more competent would be to understand the pulse of the people. Let the Government reach out with a sense of empathy. Demonstrate that it understands the plight of the people, a people who have had to live for over three years in a state where certain areas are marked as off limits. Also acknowledge that such areas are spreading. If no Meitei can go by road from Imphal to Dimapur, today no Tangkhul can cross Litan to come to Imphal. Likewise no Kuki can come to Imphal to go to the airport and take a flight to Guwahati, Delhi, or Kolkata. A situation which has dragged on since the evening of May 3, 2023 and it is in the face of such a reality that the Government does not care to think even once on how it would have gone down with the people when they announce the movement of the netas with 10/20 security escorts, even as people have to line up at the petrol pumps to refuel their vehicle. Manipur needs a Government that emphatises with the plight of the common people and surely this is not asking for too much. All it needs is for the netas to climb down from their high horses and acknowledge that the people out there are human beings, much like them.