Impact of Irom Sharmila
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 03, 2014 -

It is good to know that at least someone at the helm of political affairs in the Central Government has come up to admit openly that the nearly 14 years long struggle of Irom Chanu Sharmila does have a significant impact on the Government and that he would like to meet the anti-AFSPA crusader in person.

All these years, the Government of India as well as the Government of Manipur have been on denial mode on the world's longest hunger strike that Sharmila has been undertaking since November 2000 to demand repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act that gives extra-ordinary power to Indian Army personnel with no accountability and fear of being prosecuted for any of their acts of omission and commission in Kashmir and parts of Northeast including Manipur after haphazardly declaring these parts of the great democratic country called India as 'disturbed'.

However, during a recent interview with the news channel NDTV, Kiren Rijiju, who is the junior Home Minister in the BJP-led NDA Government has sprung up with a surprise by admitting that the nearly 14 years long struggle of human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has impacted the government.

While not denying a rethink on the Act, Rijiju also disclosed that he is open to meeting Sharmila in person, stating, "Whenever she wants to meet me I am there."

Whether the junior Home Minister in the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, who actually hails from the Northeastern States of Arunachal Pradesh (which also suffers the impact of the Military Act) had said all these simply under the glare of camera and light in the recording studio of the TV news channel or he really meant what he said on the possible rethink on Armed Forces Special Powers Act is not known, but one thing is very certain that after this interview with the NDTV, he surely has done some serious rethink on his own comments.

A day after his interview with the NDTV was aired; the Junior Home Minister has been rather quick in changing his statement when inquired by a reporter of the Hindustan Times. While still talking about the impact of Irom Chanu Sharmila's struggle on the Government, which, of course, has been there already (whether one likes to admit it or not), our junior Home Minister clarified while talking to the reporter of the Hindustan Times that 'a review of the AFSPA is not on the cards right now'.

He maintained that 'while human rights is vital in a democratic set-up like ours, the country's national security is supreme and is non-compromisable', and so the entire gamut of inputs from security forces, agencies, state governments, etc, has to be taken into account before a review is undertaken.

Well, there goes another true Indian politician, who swears by democracy, but has no hesitation in forcing the people to sacrifice their basic rights to live with dignity, all because of an archaic piece of law dating back to British colonial era which they are not willing to part.

Anyway, Rijiju's quick rethink on his own comment has once again confirmed that there is more 'disturbances' in the minds of Indian politicians than in the areas they declared as 'disturbed' to invoke AFSPA.