Imphal, November 03 2009: The democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has said that a movement of the people should be built on reality, not baseless propaganda.

Addressing a press meet at the office of DESAM today, its president LC Santosh said that DESAM ought not to respond to the irrelevent allegations made against DESAM and other organisations by those organisations which are involved in the present agitation to protect human rights.

Because, if DESAM indulges in argument with them, the agitation for protection of human rights that will go on for a long time will be buried.

However, considering their ignorance and inexperience, it needs teaching them, Santosh said.

If there is no strength nor knowledge to lead a movement, it needs learn.

First, the idea of propping up a movement through press/media only should be given up, Santosh stated.

Secondly, the idea of intimidiating people and goading them through a coercive agitation should be given up.

Thirdly, the idea of leading a movement by baseless propaganda must be given up.

It should be based on reality.

Fourthly, people should be led through a movement by making them politically conscious and aware of their political rights.

While continuing an agitation, those leading it should turn to people and bite them.

Fifth, a civil society organisation should be democratic, not dictatorial.

Sixth, ad hominem arguments should not be applied in a debate.

That is uncultured behaviour of legal fallacy.

Seventh, it is wrong to indulge in another repression while trying to oust Chief Minister O Ibobi for a repressive rule.

Santosh further said that people can not be herded around by whipping them to join an agitation.

Only when people are made conscious, they will be encouraged to join the agitation.

Only when there is courage, a stick war will naturally erupt.

This should be understood.

We must not pave way to make ourselves toothless lions.

The president of DESAM said, anger should not be turned to the people.

Non participation of the people in a movement for the protection of human rights is a result of our own mistakes, lack of efforts, an example of not knowing how a movement should be launched, error in drawing strategy and tactics.

There will be a number of factors why the movement against fake encounters weakened, Santosh said adding that it has not weakened because people stand by O Ibobi.

Instead of turning wrath on the people, should think over deeply, he said and appealed not to charge those who urge for lifting the class boycott as people who support Ibobi.

"Please do not think that there are only two groups of people�those who support the ex president of US, George W Bush in his war against terrorism and those who support terrorists," he said.

There are too many people in between.

Bush received shoes while Obama received Nobel Prize, he said.

There are too many people who strongly oppose CM Ibobi and also the class boycott.

There are a number of parents who can sacrifice their lives for their children's education.

Anyone who opposes the class boycott is not the one who supports O Ibobi.

The issue is highly complex, complex responses will come.

Do not analyse it in a simplified manner.

Since it is a complex matter, it should be looked at with complex views, Santosh asserted.

He further opined that it is necessary to launch the kind of agitation/movement that had been witnessed on June 18 in 2001 so that it will reach Delhi and Sonia Gandhi can not remain silent.

He asked, "Why don't Apunba Lup, AMSU, MSF and KSA organised such kind of movement?" Even if an agitation to the degree of June 18's intensity can not be launched, if at least half of its intensity can be reached, like Delhi had withdrawn the ceasefire with NSCN-IM from Manipur, Delhi will certainly remove O Ibobi from power, he said.

Replacing Ibobi is not a great loss for the Congress.

What is the reason for not replacing him? Don't cause a hindrance to education if the agitation is not to be intensified, the statement asserted while urging to lift the boycott.

The statement also urged to make it public if the agitation was not supported by the people to intensify it.

Let the agitation be withdrawn if the people do not support it.

In such a situation, is there any reason to victimise education?, it asked.

"Let us mobilise the people.

Let's give education to all.

Let's muster the consciousness of the people," LC Santosh observed.

Stating that Sharmila has fasted for nine years now and the issue of Manorama had died down, the statement added that there is no point that the ongoing class boycott stir should not be ended.

It said that a house should not be burned down in trailing a rat.

Observing that only one will feel embarrass and one will suffer the loss if the class boycott agitation is lifted now, the statement pointed out that hundred will feel embarrass and hundred will suffer the loss if the agitation is forcibly snubbed later when the people turned against the agitations under compelling circumstances.

Long time will be needed to rebuild the society once it collapsed.

There is every reason that the people could turn against the ban on education, it observed.

Even if the people fully justified the ongoing agitation, people will surely turn against the agitation in order to save education from being victimising it.

If this happens at all, it will be the misfortune of the people.

This disaster should be avoided, it noted.

It further observed that the agitation for the protection of human rights could not be carried on by holding one's breathe.

It reminded the dialectical relationship between life and agitation.

It also urged the people to study the dynamics of people's agitation.

Further, it urged the people to carefully balance the building of life and causing hindrance to life by agitation.

It pointed out that the two are equally necessary.

The contradiction has two faces; it needs to be balanced carefully.

To make the agitation effective, at the same time causing minimum hindrance to normal life is the quality of a good leader.

It stated that causing disturbance to education is a loss beyond expression.

One should avoid action that causes loss to the society.

"A loss on other sectors is not a loss at all, but a loss on education is loss of everything," it underlined.

It stated that following the resolution adopted at a public meeting held at BOAT on November 2, normal classes have resumed at some schools.

It also informed the remaining schools to resume normal classes from tomorrow while also urging the parents to start sending their children to schools.

It further appealed the teachers to attend the classes regularly.

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