Sangai Festival : Debates with merit Ugly fallout over the standoff
|
The PR administration has gone ahead with the Sangai Festival and while not all roads will lead to the festival venue, this has not stopped intense debates from cir-culating in the social media. Some are interesting while others are downright unpalatable and the opposition to the festival may perhaps be seen in the dust that has been kicked up after the office of the Rajya Sabha MP lodged a complaint against IGP Themthing Ngashangva. True to the character of Manipur, the stand off between the office of the Rajya Sabha MP and the IGP threatened to go off track, with many key board warriors and arm chair activists jumping into the fray and give it a communal colour. In the process all conveniently forgot to stick by the fact that the stand off should be seen as one between the Rajya Sabha MP and a senior police officer, an IGP to boot. Manipur or at least The Sangai Express however woke up to the contrary for seen on the social media were statements, accusations and insinuations along communal line or ethnic divide and this is what is unacceptable. Any stand against the complaint lodged by the office of the Rajya Sabha MP should be dealt without the baggage of identifying the complaint as a ‘Meitei complaint’ against a senior ‘Tang-khul IPS officer.’ Likewise any action that the IPS officer had taken should be seen as a police officer discharging his duty. It is not the job of individuals much less organisations which claim to serve the interest of any particular community to jump in and give it a communal tinge. This is what is unacceptable and Manipur does not need this at all. If people do not come to their senses, the issue can snowball from a standoff between a police officer and an MP, to a sort of a standoff between two communities. Certainly Mani- pur can live without this baggage. If the said officer exceeded his brief then let the higher authority deal with it but in the process no efforts should be made to give it a communal colour. Likewise there was nothing communal in the complaint lodged by the office of the Rajya Sabha MP and this should not be twisted to suit one’s agenda or narrative. If the complaint was bereft of merit or deserves to be looked into then let the authority decide it. It is a matter that cannot and should not be decided by some pen pushers, key board warriors or trouble makers who come in the form of social activists. Manipur too should take extra care to ensure that the matter is not politicised. A fallout of the decision of the PR administration to go ahead with the Sangai Festival or a fallout of the intense opposition raised against the stand of the Government ? Either way it is Manipur which has already lost. As noted in an earlier commentary here, no one will emerge winner from the standoff and whether the Sangai Festival is held successfully or not, the National Highways will remain off limits to the Meiteis and there is no guarantee that the displaced folks can return to the place they once called home anytime. And this cuts both ways, for there are many Kuki-Zo people who have left Imphal.
This is the reality and even as the Government has gone ahead and inaugurated the Sangai Festival, debates or exchange of ideas have been doing the round in the social media. As noted, some hold merit while others may fall in the category of illogical bordering more on venom spewing exercises. Of particular interest is one input from a user who shared, ‘The Shirui Lily Festival was held in a grand manner with many from the valley participating including CSO leaders, the Rath Yatra organised by Govindajee Temple Board was held successfully, CSO leaders from Imphal went to Ukhrul when NSCN (IM) leader Th Muivah visited, Ningol Chakkouba was held peacefully and so too was Diwali. During these, the IDPs were still there at the relief centres, no Meiteis could travel on the National Highways and the crisis in Manipur has been dragging on for more than 30 months. Now why oppose Sangai Festival ?’ Food for thought here, yet at the same time there is the other line of argument or reasoning put in by some who holds that the Kukis have not been observing Kut Festival since 2023, then why should the Sangai Festival be held ? The festival is not about celebrating culture, but is about weaving a false narrative that normalcy has returned, is the line held. Both sides have their merits and demerits, and while healthy debates may continue, it is a tragedy to see that an unfortunate incident has been given the communal colour. This should stop.
This is the reality and even as the Government has gone ahead and inaugurated the Sangai Festival, debates or exchange of ideas have been doing the round in the social media. As noted, some hold merit while others may fall in the category of illogical bordering more on venom spewing exercises. Of particular interest is one input from a user who shared, ‘The Shirui Lily Festival was held in a grand manner with many from the valley participating including CSO leaders, the Rath Yatra organised by Govindajee Temple Board was held successfully, CSO leaders from Imphal went to Ukhrul when NSCN (IM) leader Th Muivah visited, Ningol Chakkouba was held peacefully and so too was Diwali. During these, the IDPs were still there at the relief centres, no Meiteis could travel on the National Highways and the crisis in Manipur has been dragging on for more than 30 months. Now why oppose Sangai Festival ?’ Food for thought here, yet at the same time there is the other line of argument or reasoning put in by some who holds that the Kukis have not been observing Kut Festival since 2023, then why should the Sangai Festival be held ? The festival is not about celebrating culture, but is about weaving a false narrative that normalcy has returned, is the line held. Both sides have their merits and demerits, and while healthy debates may continue, it is a tragedy to see that an unfortunate incident has been given the communal colour. This should stop.