By Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh
The state is once more on the threshold of another tumultuous and disturbing period. Come July-August and we are staring right into public eruptions. At present the state is right in the middle of issues which could certainly snowball into major issues. Public eruptions resulting into public-government face-off could only bring disruptions in the lives of the general public and; create hindrances in the development of the state. However, such disruptions have become an annual fixture in the state. A visit down the past few years would be evident enough to show that complete shutdown for a month or two in the state has become annual fixtures. July 2009 saw the state erupt over the BT Road killing case, wherein a former militant and a pregnant woman were killed by police commandos, bringing the state to an abrupt stop. Schools and colleges had remained closed for more than four months in the state during the period. Prior to that in 2009 February, the state was rocked by the gruesome killing of Kasom Khullen SDO and two of his associates allegedly by NSCN (IM) cadres. The state erupted again in 2010 May-June over the proposed entry of NSCN (IM) leader Th Muivah into the state. Blockades and general strikes were imposed in the state bringing it to a perpetual stop. The impasse regarding Muivah’s entry into the state which started during the last week of April continued till August first week. And last year in 2011, the state witnessed the record breaking 93 days long economic blockade imposed by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee in demand of a separate Sadar Hills district.
At present the state has the Inner Line Permit system issue and the Southern Angami Youth Organization blockade imposed along the NH 2 at hand. With the ongoing Assembly session concluding today and the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System already imposing a public emergency, people can very well anticipate a great tussle between the government and the ILP support. The ILP movement is already gaining momentum. With the state government already washing off its hand by announcing to urge the centre to do the needful and the joint committee demanding a solution during the ongoing state Assembly, the issue could well go out of hand. The SAYO issue could also snowball into something big as certain organizations have started blaming the government of neglecting the issue. Without dwelling much into the pros and cons of the causes, we should understand that in times of any tussle between the government and pressure groups the main affected group is always the general public. While democracy places its citizen on a pedestal and enjoins them with certain rights and participation in the formation of the government, its citizens should also be aware of the clear segregation between their rights and the government’s power. Does democracy entails its citizen of taking the law in their own hands? No. While it is well known that democracy strives largely on the participation from its citizens, democracy also reckons responsible actions from its citizen. The general public should not endorse a way which could prove futile for the state, whatever their cause may be. They could always find an alternative route, but should never held democracy for ransom. This is where the government should come in; it should be there to guide its citizens with interpretation from the Constitution. Another thing which has become quite conspicuous these days is the fact that the government seem to rise only after serious eruptions from the general public which is quite disheartening. Both the government and the citizens should understand that being irresponsibly responsible is not the need of the hour, what we need is to be responsibly responsible to bring the desired development. In other words trying to be responsible for the common good in an irresponsible way could only harm the common good.
