| Delhi bosses
If media reports are to be believed a host of leaders from will be rubbing shoulders in Manipur in the next few days to add more colors to the electioneering. No, they are not going to take all the trouble of coming down to this North Eastern State of Manipur, which is infested by militants and plagued with insurmountable problem, to take stock to the present situation in Manipur with an honest mind of improving the lot of the people.
These Delhi bosses will be coming here to seek votes for their respective party candidates. The central leaders who are lining up to pay the rare visit to Manipur include important figures like AICC president Sonia Gandhi, who is being projected as the next Prime Minister of India, the Union Ministers and BJP leaders. The high profile Samata Party leader Jaya Jetley whose name is linked to the Defense scam exposed by the sting operation of Tehelka had already campaigned for her party.
Perhaps this may be for the first that such a huge number of central leaders and Union Ministers would be blessing the pauperized people of Manipur by paying a one or two day visit. It is natural that the respective State units must be buoyed by their rare visits. This is an opportunity for those hapless political leaders who could not make routine visits to Delhi to be acquainted with their party leaders. If they could create an impression they would be climbing the career ladder. But for the common men on the streets their visits would make little difference.
Instead they would be facing problems during their stay in Manipur. The VIP movement would be certainly disturbing the normal flow of traffic and sometimes the common man may even be harassed while clearing routes for these so called VVIPs whose existence makes little difference to the hapless people of the State. There is some logic behind making the criticism that why these leaders should come to Manipur now.
Their visit certainly aimed at improving the prospects of their respective parties in the hustings. Nothing more, nothing less. If they were concerned with the problems and plight of the people in the State they would have taken the trouble of coming here long back. When 18 people were killed during the two month long anti-cease fire agitation and the tension was mounting in Manipur not a single leader from Delhi thought it proper to see the situation for himself or herself.
In the past hundreds of people were killed in ethnic conflagrations, but not a single word was heard from Delhi. One can easily predict that these leaders would only be blaming one another for the sorry state of affairs in Manipur. Once the elections are over and when they return to their air-conditioned rooms in Delhi the existence of Manipur will be blanked out of their minds.
May god bless the people of Manipur.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express) |
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