Pulling up students on vigil : Arrogantly indifferent
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: September 22 2011 -

City Police personnel trying to prevent students from shutting down shops at Thangal bazar :: Pix - HL

There can be only one reason for the Government to crack down on members of the All Manipur Students' Union while they were out on the streets of Imphal to monitor the prices of goods sold in the market as well as the price lists put up by the traders—the Government does not want to be caught with its pants down in front of the world.

Student organisations are not exactly angels. Many a time they are known to have crossed the line and indulge in activities that are not expected of students but this is no reason why they should be pulled up for doing something which the Government and its agencies have failed to do.

At the moment, prices of all essential commodities have broken through the ceiling.

The prices of potatoes, tomatoes, onions, lentils, edible oil, fish, eggs, in fact everything that are deemed to be daily requirements of the people have skyrocketed and the intriguing part is the absolute failure of the Government to do anything substantial about it.

What is the price monitoring cell of the Government doing at the moment ?

In the early days of the economic blockade, there were talks of instructions being issued to the shopkeepers and traders to prominently display the price list of the goods on sale.

This very instruction presupposes that the prices of the goods have been okayed or have got the official nod from the Government.

It is now more than 50 days of the economic blockade coming into force and yet till date there has not been a single move from the side of the Government to see how the prices of the goods can be controlled or monitored.

The blockade has become a convenient tool to be bandied about for the steep increase in the prices of the essential commodities.

However a close look at the movement of goods laden trucks as well as empty trucks will reveal a startling reality.

Almost every third day or so, there are reports of hundreds of goods laden trucks reaching Imphal via the Imphal-Jiri line and empty trucks leaving Imphal to lift the goods from outside the State.

Where have the goods brought in by these trucks disappeared ? Or is it that the goods brought in are too less ?

Even if it falls short of the requirements of the people, does this in any way justify the ten fold increase in the prices of some commodities ?

These questions, coming as it does in the backdrop of the ridiculously high price one has to pay for the goods, will leave no one in doubt that the Government has not only been sleeping over the work to make NH-37 motorable as well as to open the highways for free movement of goods trucks, but also in monitoring the prices of the goods.

With the Government literally sleeping over the suffering of the people, it was but natural for others, student organisations in this case, to come forward and try to fill the void.

Not only did the Government display its arrogance, tinged with ignorance, in pulling up the students who were out on the streets to check the prices of goods, but it also amply demonstrated that it was not going to stand any attempt which would leave it red faced in front of the world.

Never mind, if it meant doing something positive for the people.

It is here that serious questions may be raised. Apart from a misplaced sense of protecting its turf, does the Government or more precisely the people running the affairs of the State and the people stand to gain anything from the price hike or letting the status quo continue ?

Is it a question of the benefits of the hiked prices reaching the highest level of the chain of command ?

With the Opposition rendering itself impotent, it is but natural that the various pressure groups in Manipur would come forward to fill the void and take on the responsibility of checking the prices of goods on sale.

It is this which the Government was against. And the reason should be obvious to all.

Any attempt to finish off the goose which lays the golden egg would be opposed tooth and nail by the beneficiaries and the Government has increasingly demonstrated that to them the stake runs higher than the mere question of opening the highways and monitoring prices of goods sold in the market.

The compulsions felt by the All Manipur Students' Union to come out on the streets should be seen in this light.