Oh! Joy of being veteran

Free Thinker *

Veteran politician Okram Joy Singh :: Pix - TSE

Someone rightly says that politicians never retire but they simply get tired. The veteran of Manipur politics is yet to be tired, forget about retirement. One of the most experienced active politicians of the State has now joined the Congress Party.

In other words, the oldest politician (in terms of experience) of Manipur has finally joined the oldest party of the country. I would like to use the expression ‘oldest young’ politician for him because he is still youthful in terms of his thoughts and activities though he is fast approaching 80. Fortunately, senility is no more age related.

For the first time when I met him in Delhi after he had joined BJP in 2015, I could gauge his inquisitive mind unlike others. That time too he was very curious to know about new developments and changes which are taking place in the political arena; he always wanted to learn new things about the system in place, new additions in defection laws, amendments in the legislative practice and procedure etc.

He is already a very knowledgeable person in the field of politics and Indian political system but he always remains eager to learn more and more. That is the beauty of an insatiable mind. It is incredible that he has almost completed 50 years in Manipur politics?

At present no active politician of the State is as experienced as him. First, he was elected as an MLA in the year 1972, on the ticket of Manipur People’s Party (MPP); that time he was hardly 30; he was one of the youngest elected Member of the newly constituted Manipur State Legislative Assembly.

That was the first election conducted for the State Assembly after Statehood. He was in association with the Manipur People’s Party for more than 40 years; and he was also the longest serving MPP President.

When he left the Party, he was the Party President. I am not aware of the reasons for his leaving the Party. There could have been political reasons and personal reasons. But the decision would have been a very emotional and sentimental one; he might have taken the decision on some compelling circumstances.

Though I am not in politics, I feel uncomfortable when respected ideologically committed strong politicians become Party hoppers. I personally felt bad when Communist Mangi left the Left. I really felt sorry when the veteran left his original Party. One should not forget that there are hundreds of thousands of people who still believe in those who are standing unmoved with their Parties and ideologies.

Sometimes I feel that practical politics has completely taken over principled politics. Changing political parties has become a norm. Changing loyalty is no more considered as opportunistic. Party hoppers never agree that they are political opportunists, instead they call themselves as realistic politicians.

When I was a young boy my father who was a die hard Congressman (still he is ) told me a true incident, “ today I met Communist Bira, he got down from his cycle , and said, brother this time I would like to contest the election, so please restrain “ and my father continued, “Ta Bira knows that I am a pukka Congressman, and he is till telling me this, because he knew fully well that even his political adversaries respect him because of his commitment to his Party and its ideology”.

Such was the political tone and tenure of erstwhile politics. We don’t know what went wrong? These days commitment to party and ideology has become a matter of the past. Pragmatic politics has taken over.

He himself says, he quits BJP as it fails to handle important State issues like Manipur University Crisis, Border Pillar-81, 7th Pay Commission, Framework Agreement and so on. He feels that under the present dispensation at the Centre and in the State, democracy has lost its essence.

The firebrand perhaps did join the Party thinking that it is the Party of universally acceptable leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He leaves the same thinking that it is no more a party of lovable Atalji. A party insider opines that he left the Party because he had been almost treated as a member of margdarsak mandal.

Even in Congress he may get the same kind of treatment, he may be made part of its advisory committee. “Being in politics is not only for contesting election but to serve the society and bring positive changes in the state. We can do so many things for the society by joining politics apart from just contesting and winning elections.”

These are the words of the veteran. Hearing these words from his own mouth, it may be construed that the veteran may not contest elections in future. But who knows what will happen in future?

A Machiavellian, if not happy with this word, a Chanakyan Congressman inducted this veteran in the Congress fold as a part of Okramization process. As a part of the process there are three MLAs already. What about an MP?