This is the surface part of the counter-insurgency operations launched in the State but scratch the top layer a little bit and one is sure to find a web of political activities that has a direct bearing on the armed movement in the State. And it is more than clear that the players of this type of politics are those who are willing to swear their allegiance to either side divided by the armed movement, at the same time.
The emergence of fly by night contractors, the middle men, the ones who have become crorepatis over night with no visible of any fruitful work being taken up can be said to be an offshoot of the type of politics that we have just mentioned. So while for the die hard militant, who swears by the belief and ideology of a sovereign Manipur, the armed movement is a must, there are others who see the conflict situation and the existing gun culture as the perfect opportunity to make easy money and gain political clout. Yet there are other class of people who exploit the existing situation to climb the political ladder so that they can come under the category of VIPs and enjoy the perks that come along with this status.
It will also not be wrong to say that the existing conflict situation has been exploited to the T for the personal gain of some of the persons who have been deployed to uphold the rule of law and protect the Constitution of India. In fact situation has come to such a pass that today it is becoming increasingly difficult to say what is black and what is white.
A whole new class of people have emerged that it is well nigh impossible to say whether they adhere to the idea of a Manipur as a part of the Indian Union or a Manipur which has never been a part of India and hence should secede. It is this type of people that has diluted the essence of the armed movement and in a way has acted as political hurdles in working out a solution for the situation suits them perfectly. Such a political situation did not emerge over night but has been a gradual growth and as long as such a political culture exists and thrives, then a solution will remain a far cry.
It is this climate which has added to the complexity of the armed movement. People on either side of the armed movement divide need to seriously study and see whether such a trend is healthy for the State and the people or not. We will stop short of calling this culture a nexus between the political class and militants but the start of a new approach is needed today.
Editorial of The Sangai Express [August 22, 2007]
Students movement
Students movement is a phenomena that is recognised the world over and Manipur is no exception. In fact we would even go so far as to say that today the most powerful and influential pressure groups in the State are student organisations and the interesting part is each community, each ethnic group today have their own student bodies. The power and influence of student power can be traced many decades back to the 1965 uproar from which edifice the All Manipur Students' Union was born and the Chaklam Khongchat (Hunger Marchers' Day) observed every year on August 27 is a telling testimony of the wide ranging influence that student organisations wield. We may also take a look at neighbouring Assam where the anti-foreigner movement launched by the All Assam Students Union gave birth of the Asom Gana Parishad. The crackdown launched by the Chinese Government on pro-democracy students at Tiananmen Square in the late 90s still continues to haunt the collective psyche of the universe. Much have changed since the period we have just mentioned and while the earlier days evoked a sense of romanticism and a sense of adventure as well as airing the pent up fury of the future generation of society, today's students' movement seems to have taken on a different hue and colour. The anti-foreigner movement launched in Assam by the AASU culminated in the birth of the AGP with most of the earlier student leaders going on to become important political figures, the most prominent being Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, who went on to become the Chief Minister of Assam.
Today the AGP is a pale shadow of its earlier avatar in the form of AASU. In Manipur too, we have seen a large number of student organisations mushrooming all over the State. In fact each community and each ethnic group today have their own apex student organisations and it is something of a tragedy that the present day student organisations have failed to live up to the student bodies of yester-years. Today it is not so much about idealism or taking up an agenda that concerns the interest that is solely that of the student community. Blame it on the system or the prevailing political scenario, today most of the student organisations have been reduced to a caricature of its fore bearers. Instead of working towards academic excellence and the all round growth of the education system, majority of the student organisations have today become champions of street politics and power politics and have come under the impression that it is within their rights to throw their weight around and bully the Government as well as the public. So even as necessary arrangements are made to successfully stage the Chaklam Khongchat on August 27, it would be befit the occasion if some thoughts are given to the activities of the student organisations of today. More importantly crucial questions also need to be raised on how much public sympathy and voluntary public support they enjoy. These questions apply to all the student organisations in the State.
The Sangai Express Editorial [August 21, 2007]
