In all likelihood, the debate on the no-confidence motion will be scheduled sometime this week. Having admitted the motion by a Congress member, the debate on it brooks no further delay. In fact, it is only fit that it gets priority over all other legislative business. Once the all-party members of the Business Advisory Committee agree on the time to be allocated to the debate, there should be no further acrimony between the Opposition and the ruling party. The monsoon session thus far has been washed away in slanging matches, catcalls, walk-outs etc. Hopefully, the debate on the no-trust motion will return the two Houses to a semblance of order. Having failed to enforce the pre-condition that the Prime Minister speak on the Manipur situation, even though it is for the Home Minister to reply to the debate, and thus jeopardizing a meaningful debate on the unsettled conditions in the north-eastern State, it is hoped that the debate on the no-trust motion will be conducted in an orderly manner. There should be no boycotts, walk-outs, sloganeering, etc. The country would like to know what its representatives say and do in Parliament. More importantly, it is hoped that when the Prime Minister gets up to reply to the debate there shall be no resort to the underhand tactics of sloganeering, shouting and walk-outs. Having made a prestige issue that he speak on Manipur in Parliament, the Opposition should have patience to hear him quietly instead of creating ruckus. Unfortunately, going by the amount of bitterness and confrontation that has seeped into the polity we cannot be certain that order will prevail even during the PM’s reply.
Meanwhile, the visit of the Opposition MPs to Manipur for a fact-finding mission ought to be welcome. Anything that applies a salve on the wounds of the people is good for the return of normalcy in Manipur. Point-scoring and finger-pointing at least while in Manipur should be avoided. It is also welcome that the Centre has handed over the investigation into the sexual assault on the two women to the CBI, taking it away from the local police which is thoroughly partisan and unreliable. Indeed, the Kukis and other hill people have no faith in the N Biren Singh government. Being a Meitei himself, the suspicion of his being partisan to his ethnic group is natural. And Singh has done nothing to dispel that impression. It is therefore reassuring that the Centre has sought the permission of the Supreme Court to move the trial of the accused in the heinous crime of parading two Kuki women naked, with the police merely watching on, to Assam. Anything that detracts from the fairness of the probe should be a strict no-no. Having inflicted such terrible atrocity on the honour of the Kukis, failure to bring the culprits to justice will be akin to rubbing further salt on their wounds. If the two ethnic groups are to live in peace it is of utmost importance that not only are the guilty in the May 4 atrocity tracked down and punished but the most stringent possible punishment is meted out to them.
Unfortunately, the violence triggered by the Manipur High Court decision to direct the State government to examine the grant of tribal status to the Meiteis has rendered Manipuri society asunder, dividing it on ethnic lines and unleashing one of the worst riots and violence in years. Yes, in the past too Manipur has been on the boil for prolonged periods due to the same ethnic divide but over the years successive governments in Imphal and Delhi have failed to address the root cause. The influx of illegals from Myanmar and the devious role of the Christian missionaries are often mentioned as factors for fanning the divide between the Meitei Hindus and the Kukis and Christian tribes. Throw in the mix the Mizo insurgency and the role of the foreign powers inimical to India and you have a very vulnerable situation in the border State. It requires delicate handling. The accusation that the Biren Singh government is playing the Hindu card ought to be examined. In the current surcharged atmosphere it is absolutely necessary that the authorities are not only fair and transparent in their handling of the sensitive situation but are seen to be so. Nothing else will restore confidence in the “double-engine sarkar” that the BJP so flourishingly talks about incessantly.
