Lying has acquired the character of political culture of the BJP. Certainly it has not come as a surprise. While the so-called conscience keeper of New India, the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, has not been alive to the ethics of truth, probity and transparency in the matter of functioning of its off shoot BJP, how could one expect that Narendra Modi, Mohan’s protege practice this. The net result is that even after 85 days of violence in Manipur, Prime Minister is refusing to make a statement forcing the opposition INDIA to table a non-confidence motion in the current session of Lok Sabha.
On Monday, Amit Shah, the most trusted lieutenant of Narendra Modi, said that the Modi government was ready to discuss Manipur issue in the Parliament and in a rare display of his sincerity and concern to the suffering humanity requested the opposition leaders to allow debate, saying it was important for truth to come out before the country on the Manipur issue. His offer deserves appreciation. He said that he was willing to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on the situation in Manipur and wondered why the opposition was not ready for it.
Nevertheless his proposition emanates profanity. Behind this offer he was trying to hide Modi. He must come out and tell the nation that he was trying to shield his boss as ; if Modi is not at fault, if he has not committed any crime; if he is not the part of the RSS design to foment violence across the country just ahead of the Lok Sabha election, then why has he been evading from making a statement on the floor of the house.
Opposition demand has been too small and too little; Modi should make a statement on the floor of the house. As the prime minister of India; in his words New India, he owes a moral responsibility to the people of the country to place the truth before the nation.
Will Shah who has been showing his concern about Manipur clarify why the Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha adjourned the house without allowing the opposition to place its views on the floor of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?. Why Shah was “totally silent” on the opposition INDIA’s demand for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue? The chairman of the upper house JagdeepDhankar suspended one of its members Sanjay Singh for the entire session for his fault as the records say for walking into the Well, raising slogans and displaying a placard. If Singh has to be relied he had gone to the chair of Dhankar to request him to intervene and ask Prime Minister to reply.
It is significant that only a day ahead of this incident, addressing a meeting at JamiaIslamia, Dhankar had said disruption and disturbance in temples of democracy cannot be weaponised as a political strategy and democracy is about dialogue, discussion, deliberation and debate to secure public good. Obviously one would like to know why the Modi government was not allowing discussion, deliberation and debate in the Parliament on Manipur.
This was a tactful move of Shah to gain public attention and sympathy. Resorting to this design he simply intended to convey the message that opposition demand was not democratic and legitimate. Anguish of Congress president MallikarjunKharge is manifest in his observation; :If Prime Minister Modi has any ounce of constitutional propriety left, he will make an elaborate statement on the violence in Manipur since May 3. No amount of Jugglery with words and false equivalence shall work in the case of Manipur violence”.
The silence of Modi becomes quite eloquent with violent incidents increasing every day. Only on Monday , the Imphal residence of union minister RK Ranjan Singh in Manipur was attacked again. A women’s rally outside his house turned ugly when the protestors threw stones at it demanding that he speak in Parliament about the situation in the ethnic strife-affected state. This is the second time in two months that the house of the junior minister for external affairs came under attack.
Further, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), a conglomerate of recognised tribes of Churachandpur district in Manipur, has released a list of 14 alleged instances of crimes against Kuki-Zo women during the ongoing unrest. The 16-page document lists atrocities that took place between May 3, when the violence between Meiteis and Kukis started, and July 6. Both communities have suffered in the unrest, which has claimed at least 170 lives and displaced 60,000 people.
Rape of the women has become the most common and effective instrument to finish the Kukis and trample their self respect. Unfortunately the government officials do not have the exact number of women raped during 85 days of the mayhem. In worst kind of savagery, Thiandam Vaiphei, a 45-year-old widow and mother of two, fell victim to a horrifying act of violence at the Pheitaiching village of the Kangpokpi district on May 6. Her head, hand and legs were chopped, and her body was set ablaze along with her house by the Arambai Tenggol, Meitei Leepun and proscribed Meitei insurgents, the ITLF said.
There is no denying the fact there has been a complete collapse of law and order in the state and the role of Manipur chief minister Biren Singh needs to be investigated as he is seen to be siding with one group. Several military veterans have condemned the administration’s failure to stem the violence in Manipur, alleging “dereliction of duty” and “complicity”.
The former navy chief and 1971 war hero, Admiral Arun Prakash, tweeted on Sunday; “Episodes of violence and depravity in Manipur are horrifying. Equally shameful are cases of dereliction of duty/ complicity. We are tired of hearing: what about this & what about that?” He sought to know: “With 1.3 million strong central armed police forces and a 1.4 million strong army at the government’s disposal, why does a state continue to be convulsed by violence, rape & arson for over two months? Are we helpless?”
The evil designs of RSS and BJP are spreading fast into other neighbouring states. Thousands of people even from well-to-do families are fleeing to Assam. The Mizoram government was providing all security to them, but they themselves did not want to take any risk and came to Assam for their own safety.Thousands of people from Meitei, Kuki and Hmar communities fled Manipur, and have been living in Assam since ethnic violence erupted in that state on May 3.
The political leaders are trying to trace the reasons for Modi’s averseness towards Manipur. How could Modi be projected by RSS and BJP as “Vishwaguru”, a leader who could stop the Russia-Ukraine war by a phone call, and bestowed with the privilege to address to the joint session of the US Congress fail muster moral conviction and courage to speak to his own people. Of course “Ii is a sense of guilt?” as several Opposition leaders pointed out. Parliament is dysfunctional as Modi is scared of facing questions. He fails to muster courage to enter the House of which he is the elected leader.
True enough the observation of the Group of bishops who were on a two-day visit to Manipur while decrying ‘silence & apathy’ rightly observed Manipur is in the middle of a civil war. The four-member team, led by CBCI president and Archbishop Andrews Thazhath, visited places affected by ethnic clashes that have claimed 170 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 3
In a statement, the country’s apex body of Catholics said: “We are deeply saddened about the prolonged situation of violence in Manipur. We condemn all forms of violence, atrocities and attacks, especially on our institutions, places of worship and vulnerable sections of the society like women and children. We are equally worried about the prolonged silence and apathy of the law enforcement agencies in containing the violence.”
It is painful to watch that the Manipur police during the RSS and BJP rule has been completely communalised. The police officers were allegedly in complicity with the Hindu fundamentalists and goons. In most of the cases they handed over the victims to the perpetrators of torture and repression. (IPA Service)