Diverting the real issues
- Imphal Times Editorial :: January 31 2017 -

The increasingly chaotic din of the election euphoria is silencing some of most important issues of the state.

People now have stopped talking about the draconian AFSPA and hardly spare time to discuss issues of massive human rights violations being committed under various outdated laws- the very archaic Act which Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to scrape while delivering his infamous speech at Madison Square Garden in New York, few months after becoming the Prime Minister of India.

For the Congress party which is in power in the state, the issue of territorial integrity is assumed the most effective card to play with the voters.

The congress really have the advantage as BJP which is in power at the centre is the political party that will either be blames or appreciated for the outcome of the peace talk with the NSCN-IM.

The signing of the Frame work agreement and concealing the details of the agreement is another advantage of the congress party in attacking the rival BJP.

However, the apple of discord between a civil society group at Churachandpur and people in valley demanding legislation for protection of an Inner Line Permit system make the Congress party handicapped.

They appeared to have been caught between the devil and deep blue sea.

The rigid stand of JCILPS of making 1951 as the baseline for determining original residents of the state and the JAC CCpur’s strong opposition to introduction of any ILPS Bill is perhaps the greatest challenge the ruling congress is facing.

The issues are of no worry to the congress as they understand the mentality of the voters.

The congress is now concentrating on mass recruitment at government departments. They have been issuing notifications and conducted DPC for recruitment of various post in the government department.

These recruited candidates or who are in the list for recruitment are considered as bonus votes for the congress.

Thanks to the CEO Manipur for directing the state government to furnish all details for recruitment and undertaking recruitment at various government departments that has been taking place since April 1 this year.

As for the BJP the issue of Territorial Integrity has been left aside and the ILPS is of no serious matter as they consider these issues to be of no help in election.

As some of the BJP hard core in the centre are strong advocates of the draconian AFSPA, the party now had stopped mentioning about the much reviled and contentious Act.

Like the congress, the party now firmly believes in the developmental matra as well as providing of easy access to central government grant-in-aid as more important to win more seats in the upcoming assembly poll.

For reasons best known to itself the political party who had promised to punish those involved in the multi-crores Loktak scam has remained silent.

The party is also inexplicably silent on fighting corruption with appropriate tool, so no definite words have been spelt out to establish Lok Ayukta till date.

Once the election notification was issued the simmering talks about the real and immediate issues of the state have all been swept under the carpet.

And people will start enjoying the election festival – the festival that happened once every five years.

ILPS or Anti-ILPS is not going to have any significant impact on the upcoming state election, and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi as well as BJP leader Th. Chaoba are clear about this. And the state is back to square one.