Conveniently demented or plain ignorant?
- Imphal Times Editorial :: December 25 2016 -

Minister of State for Home Affairs (MoS) Kiren Rijiju arrived in Manipur on December 23 2016 :: Pix - David Mayum

Who is Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State (Home) trying to fool- himself or the people of Manipur when he declared that the central government has no knowledge of NSCM-IM’s presence in Manipur?

Or is it that he is just plainly so ignorant of the facts and developments in the north eastern part of India even though he also belongs to the same region and his home state is more or less being affected by the same group whose issue he is so conveniently trying to dodge?

Or is it possible that he is being instructed by his ‘handlers’ to maintain the same air of indifference when it comes to anything to do with the proscribed outfit or its activities in the state given the ‘special’ treatment and lavish assurances which only a select few at the centre knows the details of?

Is he really too naive to understand the simple fact that by mollycoddling the armed outfit, he or his party is in fact vitiating the already sensitive and tensive social atmosphere in the state?

Does he really believe that deploying armed security forces along the national highways and ensuring safe passage of vehicles is the panacea to the protracted problem?

Why does it appear so impossibly difficult for the central government to realize that the real solution lies not in fighting fire with fire, but by dousing out the flame altogether.

It is not without any reason that the people not only in the state of Manipur but the entirety of the whole North east region are feeling slighted and neglected.

The people in the NE region have been subjected to ad-hoc methods of redressing social, economic and political issues for far too long.

Despite the oft repeated assurances and plethora of developmental projects being promised, what is sorely visible is a lack of earnestness in trying to find an enduring solution to the volatile and constantly simmering social issues which are still threatening to engulf the NE region into chaos and anarchy.

The state government, on the other hand is apparently playing it safe and diverting even the most trivial of matters long enough to gather momentum and develop into a burning issue.

The wait and watch policy which has become the hallmark of the present government has managed to rake up all sorts of agitations and uncalled for unrests.

While it would be unfair to expect the state government to address each and every issue to the satisfaction of everyone, it is expected to tackle issues with foresight and transparency.

An honest attempt would be preferred over empty promises anytime.