The CM speaks out against the NSCN-IM
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 27 2011 -

The Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly informed the house that the government has urged the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to end talks with the NSCN-IM since it is actively engaged in acts of terror. He had cited a number of cases to support his charge.

Senior MLA, O Joy had also chipped in with the charge that the government of India is sheltering terrorists in Manipur. The CM's charge needs further study. It is not easy to level such a serious charge. We can only surmise that he had made the statement with irrefutable facts and figures. So much for his remarks.

What is of contention now is, if indeed he has the facts to firmly establish that the NSCN-IM is perpetrating acts of terror in Manipur, how is the government in New Delhi going to react ?

For the people of Manipur this is going to be the litmus test to judge how the Central government views Manipur in its scheme of things.

If the facts presented cannot be refuted, the Union government will have to react positively. There can be no hedging around because it will erode whatever semblance of trust the people of Manipur had in it.

And if it does react positively, it will result in the derailment of its talks with the 'IM'. A Hobson's choice, one could say, but then it is the government of India which has created this problem for itself. It has no one else to blame.

For the Chief Minister and his government, it seems they have reached the end of the tether, and finally decided to come out in the open and tell the people what is what. The Chief Minister's action however has changed the evaluation of the NSCN-IM for good.

Having said that, one is curious now as to how it will adopt its stance on continued peace talks between the government of India and the NSCN-IM. Also how is it going to face the 'IM' when it comes to maintaining law and order?

Particularly what sort of police action is the CM contemplating on the 'IM' if it continues with, what he has described as, acts of terror?

The Chief Minister, his government, and the government of India might feel tempted to cool their heels, with the government of India persuading the 'IM' to keep away from carrying out acts of terror.

The price they would have to pay for such a muted response would however be high. To put it in a nutshell, the people of Manipur would be fed up with them.

And governance in a state where people have no faith in the powers that be, and where people distrust and are suspicious of the authority cannot be labeled as good governance.

It remains to be seen what will come out of the CM's statement.

But one thing can be said, with facts and figures to support him, he has spoken out his mind on a difficult and delicate issue. It takes guts to bell the cat.