Nearly ninety days of conflictWhat is the way forward ?
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What is the way forward ? Close to 90 days and Imphal, Delhi, the CSOs on either side of the clash divide and the people themselves are still groping in the dark. This is as far as taking the road to normalcy is concerned but the Government cannot afford to let this continue. But who cares ? No one, it is obvious and so while bullets, bombs and other explosives continue to rain down on the hapless civilians, there are hate campaigners, the key board warriors who have kept the flame burning for the last 90 days. Internet has been suspended but this has not stopped the video clip of two girls being paraded in the nude to go viral on the social media and this has only ensured that the hate champions continue to be in the limelight. The highway politics continues and while officially the blockade on National Highway-2 has been eased with a few hours marked for movement of goods trucks, it has not stopped the highway vigilantes to check each and every vehicle to see if anyone from the other side is being transported or not. It was as recent as July 25 that two buses used by personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were torched at Saparmeina along National Highway 2 in Kangpokpi district on the suspicion that the two buses were ferrying Meitei people. A more than enough indication that announcing the opening of the highway was nothing but just a political move to score brownie points. Delivering a point and crucial that such a political manoeuvre is not lost on the people who stand by the idea of a Manipur. This is where it becomes important to question why no attention has been paid to the lifeline of Manipur. Or is it a case of Imphal and the people satisfied with the arrival of the first goods train to Manipur and with the movement of goods trucks on the Imphal-Jiribam line ? Either way this does not seem right at all and here is a case of the people of Imphal not knowing how to tell the true story of this particular highway before the world. Officially opened but with the rider that vigilantes can and do check each and every vehicle that pass through to verify the passengers on board and the highway politics should be clear to all. Play the victim card and the viral video to the hilt but turn a blind eye to the sharp vigil mounted on the lifeline of the State is the politics at play and it is a pity that no attempts can be seen to expose the highway politics.
The plain truth is, everyone is a victim. But turning a blind eye to the reality and penning a story in such a way that only one side is portrayed as the victim is nothing but making dividends out of the deaths and burnt remains of Manipur. This is what people on either side of the clash divide should be aware of. Churning out fantastic stories out of the tears and despair of the people and fanning more hatred by dishing out cooked up stories can only mean riding on the tragedy that has become a part of everyone in Manipur since the evening of May 3. The best way to get out of the tragedy is to work a way out. This is perhaps where the Naga community which has so far maintained a neutral stand can play the role of peacemakers. Delhi and Imphal may explore this idea and see if peacemakers can emerge from the madness that has engulfed Manipur. To come anywhere near to this, one should be ready to sit down and talk without any pre-conditions and do away with slogans such as ‘Peace later, solution first’. The Kukis have made their stand clear with their call for a separate administration. The Meiteis too will need to point out what it is that would be acceptable to them. NRC is one, so is the neutralisation of the narco-terrorists. These points may seem to run parallel to each other with no meeting point, but all discussions need not always start with a common point. Nearly 90 days of confrontation is long enough. Something has to give.
The plain truth is, everyone is a victim. But turning a blind eye to the reality and penning a story in such a way that only one side is portrayed as the victim is nothing but making dividends out of the deaths and burnt remains of Manipur. This is what people on either side of the clash divide should be aware of. Churning out fantastic stories out of the tears and despair of the people and fanning more hatred by dishing out cooked up stories can only mean riding on the tragedy that has become a part of everyone in Manipur since the evening of May 3. The best way to get out of the tragedy is to work a way out. This is perhaps where the Naga community which has so far maintained a neutral stand can play the role of peacemakers. Delhi and Imphal may explore this idea and see if peacemakers can emerge from the madness that has engulfed Manipur. To come anywhere near to this, one should be ready to sit down and talk without any pre-conditions and do away with slogans such as ‘Peace later, solution first’. The Kukis have made their stand clear with their call for a separate administration. The Meiteis too will need to point out what it is that would be acceptable to them. NRC is one, so is the neutralisation of the narco-terrorists. These points may seem to run parallel to each other with no meeting point, but all discussions need not always start with a common point. Nearly 90 days of confrontation is long enough. Something has to give.