In ancient Indian literature and also in the west, the king was a father figure to his subjects and he was not supposed to discriminate between his own subjects. In today’s world, there are neither kingdoms nor kings. The 20th century is the century of democracy. The world, especially after the Second World War, has realised that despite all its shortcomings there is no alternative to democracy. In a democracy, at least one is sure that however powerful the leader may be, they can be replaced by another. Such leaders can be tyrants but they are aware that people have the power to depose them. Nonetheless a few leaders forget and behave as if they are here to stay in the saddle for eternity. The crisis in Manipur is a pointer that there is no dearth of delusional leaders — like the chief minister in the state — who not only behave like a king but also discriminate between their subjects.
Manipur is a classic example of how delusional leaders are a menace to society and if they are not replaced sooner rather than later, then not only will democracy not survive but the people at large will also continue to suffer untold misery. Manipur is a blot on Indian civilisation; it will trouble our conscience for years like Gujarat does and history will not be kind to those who had the responsibility to govern but chose not to govern. What is more unfortunate is that instead of learning any lesson, there is an attempt to justify the unjustifiable. There is an attempt to shift blame on to others. There is an attempt to build a narrative that Manipur is the creation of foreign forces and a few in India have collaborated actively. There is an attempt to create a narrative that like Gujarat, Manipur will also help the ruling dispensation electorally.
Unfortunately, we live in an era in which politics has been just reduced to winning and losing elections. Those who win, feel that their all sins have been washed away and they are no longer accountable to any universal values. Today, Parliamentary consensus, which earlier was a common thread between the government and the Opposition, has broken down. There was an unwritten Laxman Rekha that was not to be crossed, come what may. There was a Parliamentary consensus that despite the acrimonious differences between leaders and parties, heated debates on the floor of the House, and outside, the relationship between the government and the Opposition nonetheless would not turn into enmity; leaders would meet and greet, would crack a few jokes with each other and the parliamentary harmony would continue to define the relationship.
It is so bizarre that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seen hugging every Tom, Dick and Harry on foreign soil, mysteriously, in India, does not let any leader come close to him who can dare to hug him. When Rahul Gandhi had tried to hug him inside the Parliament, then the ruling regime had ridiculed him and it was not taken in good spirit. The prime minister has hugged every world leader. Rather, it will be better to say that he flaunts hugging all the heads of the governments and states and it is marketed as a part of his popularity in the global fora, which helps India further its national interests. Modi to not be seen hugging any leader in India is a deliberate ploy to package him as one that no one can aspire to be equal to. It’s a smart political strategy to build a cult around him as an unparalleled leader. It can safely be said in the west, the ploy is used to attain equality with the world leaders, but within the country, the equality with others is undermined deliberately.
There is contempt for the Opposition which smacks of disrespect for institutions, which converts every conflict between the government and the Opposition into a gladiatorial war, in which defeat is death. Since 2014 the government has refused to concede any demand from the Opposition and neither is the Opposition consulted on any matter of national significance. All-party meets that earlier used to be a regular feature, are now few and far between, and even in these meetings, no suggestion from the Opposition is welcomed. These meetings are more of optics, which lack any substance. The prime minister is rarely seen in Parliament, and replies to Opposition questions even more rarely. The Rahul Gandhi episode is an example. When Rahul Gandhi questioned the prime minister and asked him to clarify the government’s relationship with the Adani group, not only was his speech brutally expunged and mutilated but he was also stripped of his membership of Parliament.
It is the same with the Manipur issue, too. The Opposition has been demanding a debate on the subject but the government is refusing to concede. There is a civil-war-like situation in the state. Two communities — Kuki and Meitei — are killing each other. Women are being paraded naked and being gang raped. Thousands of homes have been burnt. Every village has dug bunkers which hints that the local population no longer trusts the police and central forces. The armoury has been looted. More than 4,000 guns and lakhs of bullets are missing. And a shameless and incompetent government is requesting militants to deposit guns in drop boxes! Almost three months have passed but there is no sign of normalcy returning to the state. Instead of the chief minister being asked to resign and President’s rule being imposed, an absurd argument is being put forward that if the CM is removed now then the situation might deteriorate further. One can ask how many months of lawlessness and total anarchy is needed and how many more deaths are required for the centre to believe that the chief minister is incompetent, and that he can’t be trusted with solutions when he himself is part of the problem.
Now a new counter-narrative is being woven that the crisis is being fueled by foreign forces who are supplying arms to narco terrorists. It is also said that there is a legacy issue too. The question that needs to be asked is, what was the BJP government doing in the state till now? What did the state government do to stop the arms supply from across the border? When a government is so incompetent that it can’t protect its own armoury, then can it be trusted to run the administration, and fight insurgency and narco terrorism? If the state government is to be blamed then the central government too can’t absolve itself of responsibility. The prime minister should know that at times silence is more dangerous. When our own people are killed then silence is not the answer. Which father will sit idle if his sons and daughters are massacred?
The writer is Editor, SatyaHindi.com, and author of Hindu Rashtra. He tweets at @ashutosh83B
