50 percent absence at Cabinet meet : Destination Ukhrul
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 05 2019 -

In academics a 50 percent is a second class or a second division.

Not sure how this score is read in the topsy turvy world of politics, but this is exactly how the attendance sheet of the just held Cabinet meeting at Ukhrul district headquarters will read.

Of the 12 member Council of Ministers, six were present, including the Chief Minister himself.

Of the four NPP Cabinet Ministers, only one was present in the person of N Kayisii, with the other three, Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar, Health Minister L Jayanta and YAS Minister Letpao Haokip staying away.

PHED Minister L Dikho, the lone NPF man in the Council of Ministers too stayed away while two other BJP Cabinet Ministers, Th Biswajit and Nemcha Kipgen too were absent.

Th Biswajit is reportedly out of station, but in sum the Cabinet meeting held at Ukhrul on June 4, had to make do with only half the strength of the Ministry in attendance.

To be sure the absence of 50 percent of the Ministers in the Cabinet meeting was something not expected and while not much may be read into this, it will nonetheless raise eye brows amongst the keen political observers in the State.

Or does this in any way indicate that not everything may be right within the BJP led Government ?

This is where the post of a well placed insider in the BJP led Government that Central leaders do not respect Manipur because of the crab mentality of the political leaders, who are more often engaged in pulling down each other, is pregnant with meaning.

A case of delivering a point without stating the obvious ?

Not exactly a case of the two years itch coming out prominently but significant to note that the lone NPF Minister did not turn up for the Cabinet meeting.

On the other hand of the four NPP Ministers, only one turned up.

The rough ride of coalition politics coming to the fore or is it merely absence of some Ministers in the Cabinet meeting ? Only time will tell.

After the BJP led Government came to power, there have been some very positive developments.

Serpentine queues in front of petrol pumps is now a thing of the past with economic blockades now no longer in the lexicon of some hill based civil society organisations.

Likewise this also means that there is no such thing as counter blockades in sections of the valley area.

The very fact that the Chief Minister himself and the others travelled all the way to Ukhrul district headquarters by road reflects the sense of security and the feel good factor-points which were sorely missing earlier.

The question is how much the State has progressed from the feel good factor that has been ignited.

The answer can only be provided by those in positions of power, but the 50 percent absence of the Council of Ministers in the first Cabinet meeting held at Ukhrul district headquarters does not jell with the feel good factor that has been ignited.

The sense of concern expressed here may be dismissed with the wave of the hand by those in positions of power, but it will not be dismissed by the people easily and this is what is significant.