Misplaced agenda of our CSOs'
A Counter view on the elaborate Welcome Party Accorded to the CM of Manipur and his Cabinet Colleagues at Senapati

Siipuni Ng Philo *

It was one revolting sight to see the school going children lined up along both sides of the dusty NH-2, waving at the passing motorcade of the Chief Minister of Manipur and his cabinet colleagues during their visit to the Senapati District Headquarter for a routine Cabinet meeting.

Revolting, not because of them innocent students but because of how the senapati based CSOs tortured them in a veiled bid to score some political brownie points. (One hasn't even discussing the traditional welcome accorded to them just yet)

There is absolutely no denying the fact that the CSOs' wanted the CM's entourage to feel welcomed, which isn't wrong, as the district host a cabinet meeting of the state government for the first time ever.

However, in their enthusiasm to massage the inflated egos of the visiting VIPs, they've forgotten the fact that the hill districts are in a political war with the state government due to the district creation issue and for many other tangible and intangible reasons.

The hypocrisy of the CSO leaders is revealed in the fact that some of those individuals behind the elaborate 'welcome party' are involved in the tripartite talk with the Central Government, state government and the CSOs on the contentious and long pending district issue and their signatures appended in all resolutions thereafter.

This jakyll and Hyde approach of the CSO leaders towards the state government is what confounds the common people who elected them to lead the peoples' movement and not to see them dance to the tunes of their political masters. It has, now, become clear that material greed has clouded the judgments of our CSO leaders.

Let me concede the fact that the Hon'ble CM and his cabinet colleagues, by virtue of being our elected law-makers, deserves certain privileges and a little inconvenienced caused to the common people during their visit due to security reasons is given a walkover. The common people, however, are not obligated to succumb to their politically motivated ploys. It has been clear that 'Go to hills' is just another political statement and holding of cabinet meetings in the hill districts, another political gimmick.

Even the timing of holding the cabinet meeting in the Senapati district headquarter is a curious one considering the fact that Senapati is the venue of choice, for the tripartite talk on the district creation issue, and that the United Naga Council (UNC) had placed the 10th April deadline, for the state government to take a concrete decision to resolve the same.

The deadline had lapsed and yet the decision of government is yet to be made known to the general public. Given that the CSOs' appears to have made peace with those who are to make the final on the future of our district by leaving no stones unturned to give them a grand welcome, thereby dispelling any hostilities, on the 16th April, are all things well now?

Or have the CSOs' realized the futility of the cause they have long pursued with much gutso? or is it that the CSOs' had simply taken a bite out of a well-timed political bait?

Diving in again, what was the need to make the students stand by the dusty roadside under the blazing heat just to wave at the passing CM's entourage?

Was there any educational value to waving at fancy cars with tinted glasses as they cooked up dust for the students to inhale?

The authority from which the directive to take the students out of their schools for such a ludicrous reason was issued is best left to the imagination of the readers. However, there cannot be concealing the fact that such a directive is misguided and without any concern for the education of the students.

This practice of using the students as dummy audiences in events and programs without any educational value whatsoever is not a new thing in the district and this certainly won't be last unless there is a drastic redefining of perspectives of all the stakeholders involved. Those responsible have been trying to write off the incident as a one-of thing.

This excuse would have hold true had the students being given the opportunity to meet and interact with the CM and his cabinet colleagues.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be as they students were herded back to their classrooms after having waved at the CM's fancy BMW X5 and other cars accompanying it. And in the end, the only thing educating were the type of fancy cars being driven our politicians and bureaucrats using money drawn out from the state's exchequer.

More than often, the inability of our CSO leaders to differentiate between politics and activism stands exposed. Their approach of continues to baffle the common people who chose them as they inter-play politics and activism in their day-to-day functioning.

The extent they'd go the please their political masters rather than serving and listening to the plight of the common people who are being constantly oppressed and their rights suppressed by those individuals whom these CSO leaders holds dear is a far cry from the responsibilities they'd being bestowed with. Ultimately, it's the common people who is taken for a ride, Again.

An instance such as this should serve as a warning bell for the common to wake up from our sleep and see to it that the wrong is remedied at the earliest. It should serve as a lesson for us to exercise prudence while choosing our leaders (Both political & CSOs) as we labour ahead to create a society that is just, fair and ideal for every individual from all strata of the society.

The common people needs to get pass the lines drawn for us by these leaders and ensure that they get their priorities straight. They cannot be simply made to represent our voices when they are simply echoing the voices of individuals who could enrich them materially. We are the people and our leaders should speak our language and not the language of any other individuals.

We are rational beings, not fools. And, we need to act now.