Scripting another Mayhem at Meham ? : Armed groups and the polls
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 08 , 2014 -
Interesting and at the same time dicey.
Kuki underground groups under the SoO pact deciding to back the Congress candidate in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency in the Lok Sabha election and the NSCN (IM) coming under renewed accusations of backing a particular candidate in the hills and the script is ready for some fire works in the election to the Outer Parliamentary Constituency.
Armed groups interfering in electoral politics in the largest democracy in the world is not new in this part of the country.
In the 2012 Assembly election, the CorCom boycotted the Congress party.
Fast forward by two years and now it is the Kuki armed outfits under the SoO pact which have decided to back a particular candidate.
The UPF, though has refuted the story.
The NSCN (IM) on the other hand has not announced that it would be backing any particular candidate or party at the hustings, but the writing on the wall is clear.
It certainly does not need rocket science technology to see the hand behind the abduction and detention of former Minister and MLA, Dr Khashim Ruivah, who has moved on from the Federal Party of Manipur to a UNC backed candidate to now a BJP man.
In Tamenglong district, the Zeliangrong United Front or ZUF, a group staunchly opposed to the IM faction of the NSCN, has gone ahead and warned the NPF and its candidate against intimidating the voters.
Juxtapose this reality against the sustained efforts taken up by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer as well as the Election Commission of India to make the election as fair as possible and things cannot get more dicey than this.
In a way the development in the Outer Parliamentary Constituency is a sharp and clear reflection of the deep polarisation of the people along ethnic divide.
In supporting one candidate, one can read their opposition to the other candidates in the fray and this is not a healthy sign at all.
The IM group and the Kuki armed outfits may have inked peace pacts with the Government of India as well as the State Government, but this has not translated into peace in the real sense of the term for their diktats still run in their areas of operation.
If the contention of the Congress and the BJP is anything to go by then certainly the IM group of the NSCN has come a long way from the time when they raised the slogan, ‘Solution not election,’ and even boycotted the Parliamentary election.
Acknowledging the importance of election in the truest sense of a democracy or trying to get their men into the corridors of power to give a boost to their demands ?
The latter is more like it. So far there is nothing much to suggest that these armed groups have voiced their stand on the election because they appreciate the essence of universal suffrage, but are more concerned about their own charter of demands and of course the interest of their respective ethnic groups.
If the abduction and detention of a former MLA is anything to go by then surely the ‘appeals’ made by the Kuki armed groups to all the village heads to ensure that their people vote for the INC candidate is something more than an appeal.
This observation is deduced from the manner in which armed groups impose their writs and diktats on the people and anyone who falls out of line are penalised.
Violence, threats, diktats, booth capturing, proxy voting are not unique to Manipur, but this is no reason why the people should be exposed to the threats and intimidations, which have come cleverly under the alibi of ‘Issues’.
Mayhem at Meham became a catch phrase when Haryana went to polls in the early 90s and if proper arrangements are not taken up then mayhem in the Outer PC is a possibility that cannot be ruled out.ng an ugly turn.
The detention of a former Minister from Chingai AC, some days back, on the ground that he was actively working for the BJP should be enough indication.
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