No longer ‘communal Government of Manipur’. Economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council lifted. Naga People’s Front a part of the BJP led Government. Red carpet rolled out for the Chief Minister and his council of Ministers during the high profile visit to Ukhrul district headquarters on April 11. State level Shirui Lily festival lined up from May 16 to May 20. Talks on with the Churachandpur JAC to resolve the ‘Bills issue’ which has been festering since August 31, 2015 after the State Assembly passed the three Bills. Clearly the State Government is reaching out and Chief Minister N Biren and his council of Ministers should not lose the new found opportunity. The idea of Manipur can never be complete without the hills or the hill people and this is a fact that should also be acknowledged by the hill people. The feel good factor is apparent but remember the performance of the Government will not and cannot be judged only along this line and much will depend on how the BJP Led Government strives to translate the pre-poll promises it had announced to the people. Already the State Government has got the ball rolling to probe the CCTV and Traffic Lights fiasco and one hopes that this is not reduced to the status of “all noise with no substance.” Investigate the whole process and crack the whip for all must still remember how the CCTVs installed at key areas of the capital city were reduced to a joke from Day 1. Same is the case with the Traffic Lights installed at the major traffic islands of Imphal and far from easing the flow of vehicular movement, the Traffic Lights had succeeded in only adding to the chaos and confusion on the roads of Imphal.
As in life nothing is predictable in politics but again as in life a lot will depend on how one goes about dealing with the issues that one comes across. So the BJP led Government has got off to a good start but a lot will depend on how sincerely it goes about addressing the various issues besetting the State. The ILP demand or a demand to introduce a Bill to check the inflow of large scale entry of non-local people into the State can and will come up anytime soon. So is the demand that the Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe category of the Constitution of India. These are issues which can come knocking at the doors of the State Government any time soon and one hopes the Chief Minister and his men have had the time to study these issues afresh. The highway connecting Imphal and Jiribam is another area which needs the attention of the State Government. It is line with this that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to get a first hand account of the said highway on April 26 and it is again along this line that Chief Minister N Biren is set to inspect the highway ahead of the PM’s visit. Just recall the time when the then Governor Dr SS Sidhu went by road and inspected the said highway back in 2005. Since then, other than the odd Minister or two inspecting the said highway, no Chief Minister has deemed it fit to go by road and inspect the work being taken up there. The expectations are heavy, no doubt, but this should be all the more reason for the new Government to see how it can do something to live up to the expectations.
Source: The Sangai Express
