Shooting in the Sky: Protest to restore the status quo

*

A map showing the boundary of Sadar Hills - Pix - TSE

After analysing the pros and cons of the prolong 50 days of 'Blockade of Highways NH-39 and NH-53', though declared illegal by the Supreme Court of India, by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee (SHDDC), a higher functionary of the government asserted 'if the economic blockade along the National Highways over Sadar hills district demand is not lifted within the next three days, the State Government would be taking up necessary action'

These statements come after the government had cooked 'khichidi' of the issue and successfully transformed an administrative decision into a political issue heavily loaded with ethnic character as recorded by 'ANSAM in particular and the Nagas in general would like to reiterate the Government of Manipur that Sadar Hills district will not be allowed to be formed or created by carving out parts of Naga areas.' As such the highway blockade has been responded by another blockade on the highway by another community.

Now the issues have been successfully diverted to the issue of rise in the prices of commodity and the scarcity of essential items. So, 'a student body of the state has join the melee, active in the valley area, as the saviour of the people in the form of 'instrument of the state' and inspected the commercial areas of the main town Imphal to check the rise in the prices of the commodity.

On the other side, the main opposition party in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Manipur Peoples Party, spoke out, not as responsible opposition but rather as a helpless lame duck, 'the State Government should initiate steps to end the blockade.

Otherwise, MPP would start exerting pressure on the Government of India for removing the present SPF Government.' Further, the party president added rhetorically 'MPP would also submit memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to take up necessary measures toward resolving the present issue.'

The above actions of the different actors revels the lack of political maturity. Those who want to raise their voices or concerns have restored to undemocratic methods that undermines the democratically instituted intuitions.

The government by not addressing the issue immediately and allowing it to spread to other domains of society has shown its self serving narrow minded statecraft that puts individual power and position ahead of social good and justice.

This is best exemplified by its serious discussion on transportation of goods in Jiri road as a response to the crisis on another highway rather than securing the very highway by engaging the people through its constitutionally valid.

Further, the civil society groups instead of resorting to democratic protest – coming down on the street and forcing the government to act – to make the government accountable for its failure to address the core issues acted like an extended branch of the government and take over the role of the government of controlling the prices, in the process taking the law into its own hand.

Finally, the token protest of the opposition party of petition and request to 'mai bap' uphold the tradition of traditional feudal power relation in a modern secular democratic country and also of not troubling the government.

This loss of direction and purpose enhance the process of denying the citizen of the state to reach the level of political maturity of a desired civilized society. The victim in all the senseless movements and actions is the undermining of democratic principles and the institutions that has the potential to improve a rapidly deteriorating society.