BJP takes power in both center and Manipur but political leadership completely collapses
Posted Date – 12:45 AM, Mon – 6/19/23
BJP takes power in both center and Manipur but political leadership completely collapses
Now is the time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the chaos in Manipur as the northeastern state continues to burn, killing more than 100 so far and disabling more than 50,000. displaced. Law and order appear to have completely broken down as rioters run free and efforts by the central and state governments to restore peace and normality have failed. In the ongoing act of arson and vandalism, rioters used petrol bombs to burn down the private residence of Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and then set fire to the warehouse of a retired civil servant. This is the second time in three weeks that the residence of the deputy foreign minister has been targeted. The BJP is in power both in the center and in Manipur, but the political leadership and “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” model of governance has collapsed amidst rampant ethnic violence. Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent visit to the troubled country has provided a glimpse of fighting between the Metes and Kukis amid the deployment of troops and paramilitaries hope for a cessation of hostilities. However, the violence has not stopped in the month and a half since clashes erupted in protest marches against Meiteis’ demand for scheduled tribal status. Sandwiched between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar, the northeastern states are a patchwork of ethnic groups battling a contentious history and frequent friction. The center recently formed a peace committee, chaired by Governor Anusuiya Uikey, to facilitate a peace process among the state’s various ethnic groups.
However, it suffered from bad weather at the outset, with a prominent Meitei civil society organization refusing to join the group, while a top Kuki body objected to the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The Center needs to urgently review the composition of the group and make changes acceptable to all stakeholders. The much-hyped “twin-engine” government must crack down on radical groups exploiting the unrest. Disarming militants is a prerequisite for creating an environment conducive to negotiations. A sincere effort must be made to bridge the trust deficit not only between warring groups and those in power, but also between communities. Ongoing tensions in sensitive areas have exposed holes in the BJP’s much-touted strategy of building unity among different ethnic groups. The two communities have been embroiled in a fight since March when the Manipur state high court directed the state to consider adding the Meiteis, who are mainly Hindu, to the list of intended tribes. The Kukis, who are mostly Christian, feel threatened because the move will pave the way for the Meiteis to own land in forests and mountains. The crisis has been exacerbated by long-running disputes between immigrants and indigenous peoples.
