By Binoy Viswam
Manipur was like trump card for the BJP. Since their first ascendance to power in 2017, with the calculated plan of a conquest they treated Manipur as their spring board for North East. BJP’s gaining of power in the state itself was through crooked ways. It had only 21 MLAs in the 60 member Assembly, where as the Congress had 28 members. Purchasing MLAs and manipulation of Governor’s office helped BJP to manage their foot hold in Manipur. From there they extended the tentacles of hatred politics to nearby states one after another.
A new narrative was cooked up in their factory of lies that the religious minorities and tribal population have become devout supporters of BJP. North to South, East to West that manufactured story was propagated by the storm troopers. Now it is this story that has shattered into pieces. The real face of the BJP in connection with the minorities, tribals and other sections of the society stands exposed and the state was thrown into turmoil. During the most challenging days for the people in the North East, India witnessed the prime minister of the country ploughing for votes in the southern state of Karnataka.
The trigger for the orgy of violence engulfing the entire state of Manipur was a high court order which directed the state government to submit a recommendation for the inclusion of Meities in the ST list. This was protested by the tribal population of the state and soon, violent clashes, arson and rage enveloped the entire state. The high court may have triggered the violence but it’s clear that BJP’s policy of dividing people under several labels and pitting one against the other is responsible for the turmoil in the state. BJP’s tendency to centralise power and not to maintain dialogue with stakeholders has pushed the state into this abyss of violence, which has claimed more than 60 lives and rendered thousands homeless.
Dividing people paid handsome dividends to the BJP electorally but the disastrous consequences of divisions in the society are long-term and the BJP must be held responsible. Their hunger for capturing power has disfigured not only Manipur, but the entire North East. Learning nothing from this unrest, when people of Manipur were in tears, the entire BJP leadership was hovering over Karnataka doing what they do; dividing the people. The seeds of hatred and division BJP is sowing are poisonous for our soil which is rich with sacrifices from all sections of society.
Restoration of normalcy and lasting peace in Manipur is the foremost task before the country and the government today. However, BJP’s narrow understanding of the issues concerned is resulting in an understanding that this is a mere law-and-order issue. Heavy deployment of armed forces will not address the matters at the core of violence. Deep seated frustration with the government is resulting in violence and it should be addressed politically and societally. All stake-holders, their representative organisations and political parties should be consulted and taken into confidence and the CPI had demanded this from the Union Government.
Though Union Home Minister Amit Shah agreed to discuss the high court order recommending ST status to Meities, the scope remains narrow to the order itself. Consultations should go beyond the immediate trigger point and must address issues of long-term societal stability. How and why hatred has found a breeding ground in Manipur should be investigated and forces responsible for this should be exposed. Immediate and human rehabilitation of those who were displaced should be prioritised. Generous compensation for those who lost their lives and injured in the spiral of violence must be ensured.
It is becoming increasingly visible to the country that the BJP-RSS, by their ideological disposition itself, are unfit to rule the country. BJP-RSS create fractures in the society for electoral gains and this is disastrous for the society. A diverse country like India cannot be governed without dialogue, especially in critical areas like Kashmir and the North East, but the BJP-RSS are ideologically in favour of heavily centralised and unidimensional flow of power. This ideological design is resulting in a calamity for peace and harmony in the country. Dissatisfaction is all pervasive in the BJP rule and those responsible are in a perpetually election mode with little time or patience to attend to the demands of the people.
After the abject failure of BJP’s Kashmir policy, now we are seeing the episode being repeated in the North East. Before situation escalates further, peace building will have to be prioritised and bonds between people will have to be strengthened through united efforts. People have to be reached and sensitized with the secular ethos of our Constitution and inclusive heritage of our freedom movement. RSS-BJP rule is based on the hatred created between our countrymen. This hatred must be defeated and replaced with love, compassion and sympathy to herald our country into an era of peace, progress and prosperity. (IPA Service)
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