Questions may well be asked why the United Committee, Manipur outright rejected the assurance given by a person no less than the Prime Minister of the country that adequate security would be provided along the two National Highways as soon as the Jammu and Kashmir election is over and why the UCM went ahead and imposed a 24 hour Manipur bandh in protest against the ‘lukewarm’ response of the Center.
Straight after the separate meeting with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister on September 27 at New Delhi, Chief Minister O Ibobi convened a press conference and said that the two leaders had given a sympathetic hearing to the case put forward by the all party delegation and assured that Delhi will do everything possible to address the grievances of the people of Manipur. However the United Committee, Manipur, though their representatives were not present at the meeting with the Prime Minister, straight away rejected the assurances of the Central leaders and went ahead and announced the 24 hour bandh.
Is the UCM just being obstinate or is their stand indicative of the distrust towards New Delhi? While the imposition of the 24 hour bandh is open to debate, we are more inclined to believe that the stand of the UCM is dictated more by distrust towards Delhi than by anything else and the reasons are not far to seek though it is very disturbing.
Down the years the people of Manipur have been fed large doses of verbal assurances that have always failed to take wings. The demand for adequate protection on the highway is not a recent demand of the people but has been there for years. Successive Governments at New Delhi have been giving verbal assurances that the highways would be rid of the nuisances which haunt the people taking the surface route. Successive Governments at New Delhi have verbally criss-crossed the entire State with rail heads but the much talked about and publicized rail head at Karong or Jiribam is yet to see the light of day.
It is within this parameter that we should view the adamant stand of the UCM. Other than the perfunctory patient hearing and assurances that the grievances of Manipur would be looked into, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister had nothing new to say. By saying this, we are not in any way endorsing everything that the UCM does and we leave that matter to the people to decide but the disillusionment cannot be mistaken.
It is this point that New Delhi should seriously look into. It is not only a question of not taking the words of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister at face value but the trust and confidence that New Delhi is able to generate amongst the people of Manipur. And this is deeply disturbing, for intrinsic in this lack of confidence and trust on New Delhi is the drifting away of the Manipuri people from the Center and surely the BJP leadership would not want this to happen.
Ideally the words of a Prime Minister should have been enough to placate the hurt sentiments of the UCM. Why this failed to do so is the question, the leaders of the land should start addressing now. Half the problems besetting Manipur and the North East region would evaporate if Atal Behari Vajpayee and his right hand man, LK Advani, are able to instill that confidence and trust amongst the people here.
It does no credit to the NDA Government if a certain section of the people does not trust the words of its two most important leaders. Over the years New Delhi and Manipur have drifted apart too far and perhaps it is time to seriously start looking at this issue from a fresh perspective.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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