After being in power for four years, the Chief Minister realizes that underground activities are hampering developmental works.BT flyover could not be completed because of the percentage demands made by numerous underground organizations, said Ibobi Singh. 

North East News Agency

NO prize to guess when is Manipur going to polls. With the leaders indulging in fiery rhetoric and hectic political parleys going on to form alliances are indicative enough the State is heading for another electoral battle in near future and all concerned will spare no efforts to win the race.

Leading the pack is Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of the State. After four years of being in power, suddenly the Chief Minister has realized that underground activities in the State are hampering the developmental works.

In his presidential address at the Khongjom War memorial observation, the Manipur Chief Minister categorically stated that numerous militant groups, active in the State, in the name of freedom struggle are indulging in various anti-social activities. He further noted that the militants are hampering the development of Manipur to a great extent. In support of his claim the Chief Minister stated that BT flyover could not be completed because of the percentage demands made by numerous underground organizations. More he revealed that like the flyover, the Capitol Project could not take off as a result of huge monetary demands made by the undergrounds.

Though it is for the first time that the Chief Minister so severely criticized the militant, the fact remains that people of Manipur, for long, was alleging the same. But the voice of the people was lost somewhere in face of strong bond between the political leaders and the undergrounds.

It is no secret that politicians in Manipur excel on the support of militants. Everyone in Manipur knows that no political leader can last or rise to the top without pleasing the militants. The politician-underground nexus is so deep rooted that once Rishang Keishing, former chief minister of the State, publicly alleged that underground elements were present in the house-warming party thrown by one of his colleagues at his ministerial bungalow, located in the high-security zone of the capital Imphal.

It is not that Ibobi regime was free from all such vices. Rather, people on many occasions alleged that the State Government was acting on behalf of a particular militant organization, which has increased its strength enormously with the blessings from the present regime.

Going one step further, detractors of the Chief Minister often complained that the State was being ruled by  one underground group and the Chief Minister was a mere spectator. The members of that underground group had easy access to all government offices and it was they who decided which development project would be taken up after ensuring their percentage.

Though the Chief Minister has rubbished all such allegations as baseless and without any substance, the moot point here is that he himself has admitted that several development projects in the State had come to a halt because of the monetary demands made by the undergrounds. Thus the Chief Minister is duty-bound to answer what actions he took to prevent the developmental process in the State from being derailed after the State Government came to know about the interferences made by the militants.

As Ibobi Singh evaded the answer, his sudden outburst against the militants can be termed as nothing but a election gimmick. So is his statement on lack of development in the hill districts of Manipur. For years, good governance has remained a far cry in Manipur. Ibobi regime was no different.

But as attack is the best form of defence, Ibobi Singh went on the offensive at the very first opportunity. Will he succeed? Only time knows the answer.

|  Headlines  |  Editorial   | Coverstory  |
|  Travel Column   |   News Briefs  |
| OT Main Page | Nena  Home Page  |