No roadmap to normalcy even now Compulsion of geo-politics
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It should be clear to all. Even after more than two years of the violence erupting on May 3, 2023, Delhi still does not have a clear cut roadmap to take Manipur to the path of normalcy. This was obvious when Prime Minister Narendra Modi carefully stepped clear of saying anything on the clash and instead focused on talking about peace and development. Don’t step on the wrong toe was the point that stood out prominently in his public address both at Churachandpur and Imphal. The logic should be simple enough. ‘If you don’t have anything to say that would please the ears of the people of Churachandpur don’t say anything on the violence,’ and likewise it was a case of ‘If you don’t have anything to say that would please the people of Imphal, skirt all talks about the violence’. To the Delhi mandarins, the situation is complex, for it was a case of ‘If you say anything that could please Imphal, it has all the potential to displease the Kuki-Chin-Zo community and similarly if anything that would sound good to the Kuki-Zo folks is said, it could mean displeasing Imphal or Manipur.’ Walking the tightrope and surely this would not have been easy even for a seasoned politician like Narendra Modi. What is however significant is the no-nonsense stand adopted by Governor AK Bhalla in telling the people of Churachandpur not to allow the setting up of illegal settlements by people from across the border. Surely the speech of the Governor could have been vetted by the Union Home Ministry and come to think about it, this part of the speech falls perfectly in line with the earlier stand of the Union Home Minister and the Foreign Minister when fingers were pointed at the hands of illegal immigrants in fomenting the violence in Manipur. In just one or two line the Governor spelt out what is of importance to Manipur. In as much as the Prime Minister let the politician in him get the better of him while delivering his address to the people at Churachandpur and Kangla, it stands that the speech did leave many in Imphal dissatisfied. As the primary Opposition, the outburst from the Congress on the visit of the Prime Minister is understandable, but what is significant is the general response of the people who had turned out to attend the public meeting at Kangla on September 13. Going live on camera to speak out against what the Prime Minister had to say is significant, but yet at the same time, it should not be forgotten that Modi cannot be seen to have spoken out in favour of anyone and hence the logic why the violence was skirted so meticulously. It is also significant to note that 24 hours after the Prime Minister left not a single BJP leader of Manipur has deemed it fit to speak to the media and say something positive about the visit. This silence should say something significant and perhaps the impact of the visit may be discerned from the manner in which many took to the social media to negate a status which sought to put the visit of the Prime Minister in good light !
The more important question is whether the visit of the Prime Minister will help in the restoration of normalcy or whether the status quo would continue. Still a question, but important to note that nothing was said about throwing the National Highways open to everyone. The Prime Minister himself did not say anything about immigrants but at Assam it was different when he went hammer and tongs against incursion from across the border. This fine line would not have missed the eyes and ears of the more discerning people of Manipur but ultimately one will have to take comfort in the no nonsense assertion of the Governor when he asked Churachandpur not to allow illegal settlements there. Manipur should note the implications in the observation of the Governor. A visit of the Prime Minister is always welcome but what made his visit to Manipur stand out lies in the fact that it came about more than two years after the place went up in flames in May 2023. This is precisely the reason why the visit kicked up more than its share of publicity. Again this is precisely the reason why Manipur waited to hear the Prime Minister speak. But ultimately the compulsion of geo-politics gained the upper hand, topping the suffering of a people and a place for more than two years. Narendra Modi may have played his card right vis-a-vis the compulsion of geo-politics, but judging by the response of the people it has not gone down well with the folks here at all. Nearly 60 thousand people are languishing in different relief centres and free movement is yet to become a reality.
The more important question is whether the visit of the Prime Minister will help in the restoration of normalcy or whether the status quo would continue. Still a question, but important to note that nothing was said about throwing the National Highways open to everyone. The Prime Minister himself did not say anything about immigrants but at Assam it was different when he went hammer and tongs against incursion from across the border. This fine line would not have missed the eyes and ears of the more discerning people of Manipur but ultimately one will have to take comfort in the no nonsense assertion of the Governor when he asked Churachandpur not to allow illegal settlements there. Manipur should note the implications in the observation of the Governor. A visit of the Prime Minister is always welcome but what made his visit to Manipur stand out lies in the fact that it came about more than two years after the place went up in flames in May 2023. This is precisely the reason why the visit kicked up more than its share of publicity. Again this is precisely the reason why Manipur waited to hear the Prime Minister speak. But ultimately the compulsion of geo-politics gained the upper hand, topping the suffering of a people and a place for more than two years. Narendra Modi may have played his card right vis-a-vis the compulsion of geo-politics, but judging by the response of the people it has not gone down well with the folks here at all. Nearly 60 thousand people are languishing in different relief centres and free movement is yet to become a reality.