Dial Delhi to befool the public : The uglier side of border fencing
- Sangai Express Editorial :: December 18 , 2013 -

Indian Govt officials and Delegation of political Parties inspected fencing along Indo-Myanmar border on Dec 7 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

A case of the Government's right hand not knowing what its right hand is doing or is it a manifestation of the yawning gap between what is said and what is done ?

Pulling wool over the eyes of the people, seems more like it.

Despite the standing assurance given by Union Home Minister Shushil Kumar Shinde, that instructions have been issued to halt the border fencing works to an all political party delegation led by the Chief Minister some days back, came the information from the chief of Govajang village, that border fencing work is still going on.

To be fair, The Sangai Express did not exactly see the border fencing work going on but BRTF trucks ferrying labourers to the work site was clearly visible, a fact corroborated by the tell tale photograph carried in the December 17 edition of this paper. So what exactly is happening at the border area ?

This question gains more importance in the face of the report that Myanmarese authority had reportedly claimed that the Integrated Check Post which is coming up at Moreh falls within their territory.

Manipur claiming that the border fencing infringes on her territory and Myanmar claiming that the Integrated Check Post falls within their territory.

Confusing and to be sure there will be no ready made answer and this is the very reason why the Government of India should not talk in double tongue, if the claim by the chief of Govajang village is anything to go by.

Given the stand off, the suggestion that the border fencing be stopped pending a joint survey of the border areas by a joint team from the Government of India and Government of Myanmar, makes solid sense.

It was on this premise that the Union Home Minister had assured the all political party team from Manipur that the ongoing fencing work would be suspended.

However as things have turned out, the assurance or the directives of the Union Home Ministry to suspend the fencing work seems to have flown over the heads of the people actually engaged in fencing the border.

The chief of Govajang village surely would have no reason to cook up such a story, for it would not serve any purpose.

This is a point that should register in the minds of the people who matter.

As repeated many times earlier here, The Sangai Express will not toe the line that what is happening at the border area is a border dispute. No way.

It is more a case of the Government of India playing the appeasement policy at the cost of Manipur to reap full dividends of the Look East Policy.

Myanmar is the immediate gateway to South East Asian countries and it would be to the advantage of Delhi if it manages to win over the neighbouring country by making some sacrifices here and there, the sacrificial lamb being Manipur here.

This is what is unacceptable to the people of Manipur.

The report about the border fencing still continuing, despite the reported instructions from the Union Home Ministry already hogging the limelight in the media here.

It is now up to the Governments, both at Delhi as well as Manipur to respond and review the situation.

On second thoughts, it could probably be a case of the State Government and the Union Home Ministry trying to befool the public, for it is on record that 'no such instructions from the MHA have been received so far.'