Set for extended President’s Rule Wanted : Roadmap to normalcy

By all account President’s Rule seems set to have a longer innings than previously envisaged by many. The script says so, a script drawn up by the BJP led Government at Delhi. Back on July 15 extending President’s Rule in Manipur was among the eight Bills, which the Modi Government had mulled ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament which kicked off on July 21. It was in line with this proposal that the Union Home Ministry had put forward a statutory resolution seeking to extend President’s Rule in Manipur for another period of six months from August 13. This is where certain things need to be put in its correct perspective. While everything indicates that PR is set to be extended after it finishes six months on August 12, Parliament is yet to pass such a Bill in the House. This is where a reading may be made and that is the statutory resolution has been put forward and admitted in the Rajya Sabha to extend PR in Manipur so as to avoid a Constitutional deadlock. This much can be read into the latest development. Perhaps this is where one may need to look back at the days gone by since February 13, the day Manipur was brought under President’s Rule and the Assembly was put under suspended animation. The question is, have things improved since then ? Not a question that can be answered with a snap of the finger, for while direct confrontation and gun shots have been neu- tralised to a considerable extent, this cannot be taken to mean that normalcy has returned. Even after more than nearly 180 days of Raj Bhavan calling the shot, no Meitei will dare take National Highway-2 for passing through this route would mean passing through areas which are Kuki dominated places, such as Motbung, Keithel- manbi, Kangpokpi etc. Likewise no Kuki would dare return to the place they once called home at Imphal or any of the other valley districts. No Kuki would feel safe or secure to come to Imphal to catch a flight out of BT Airport. This is the situation in brief, but yet at the same time Raj Bhavan did take up some meaningful steps to de-weaponise society on either side of the clash divide, though it still stands that nothing much have been heard of about the arms with cadres of the SoO outfits. In the early days that followed May 3, 2023, Manipur did hear about the Security Advisor coming out with status reports on some SoO camps, but for reasons best known to the Government that has stopped, for reasons which must have only gone on to reinforce the widely held belief that the SoO cadres are being treated with kid’s gloves. It also stands that Delhi has been reaching out to CSOs on either side of the divide and holding talks with them, though separately, a welcome step that could and should have been initiated way back in 2023.
With the Centre now looking set to extend PR in Manipur for another spell, the question however stands whether the return of a popular Government would be able to take Manipur anywhere nearer to the understanding of normalcy. This is the question which Manipur should be raising when- ever any talk centres around the extension of PR or the return of a popular Government. And this is where it becomes impor- tant for everyone to remember that Manipur was literally in flames for nearly two years while a popular Government was in place. Have the political leaders of the day been able to chalk out a roadmap which they propose to put into action if and when a popular Government returns ? Not the first time that this question is being raised, but this is important to the people of Manipur. And if President’s Rule continues for the next six months, that is till February next year, would this ensure that normalcy would have returned to Manipur ? Not an open and shut case and no one expects a clear cut answer, but these are nonetheless questions which should be raised by the thinking citizens of the land. Manipur is among the States in India where PR has been imposed the most frequently and old timers may do well to look back and study whether such instances did anything good for the situation back then or not. For the moment, Manipur looks set to experience another spell of extended PR but it is important not to forget that many issues are still today not resolved. What are the steps that have been taken up to weed out illegal immigrants ? Border fencing at best will keep out new entrants, but how about those who have already sneaked in and have today merged with the local folks ?