Defending, fighting for Idea of Manipur Imphal based media
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For over 400 days the focus of The Sangai Express, as with all other major newspapers published from Imphal, has been on the ongoing ethnic clash and the focus should be understood not only within the space dedicated to the clash, but also on the opinion pieces in the Article section as well as in the editorial commentary of this newspaper. The few days in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections and a few days after polling were the exceptions, but by and large the focus of this newspaper has been on the clash, which sees no sign of abating. Looking back, it has been eventful and any newspaper or journalist with a conscience must have looked inward to see whether they have been able to do justice to the profession of disseminating news to the public and in a way shape public opinion. It has not been easy and certainly it did hurt immensely when the Imphal based media houses were dubbed Meitei Press by the Editors’ Guild of India, a line taken from the misinformation fed by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU) and Kuki Inpi, Manipur (KIM). Top this off with the announcement that The Sangai Express has been boycotted in all Kuki areas just a few days after the clash erupted in all its ugliness and it has been a roller coaster ride since the evening of May 3, 2023. Rewind to the earlier days of the clash and all Imphal based journalists will recall the harrowing days of returning home after the day’s work, negotiating hordes of protesters out on the streets, the bonfire put up in the middle of the road, facing the leikai volunteers who used to come out in full strength to keep vigil and detect any suspicious movement. The ‘restrictions’ on the movement of media persons may have gone but the apprehension that trouble may erupt any time continues to haunt and this is saying something very significant. In between prices of all essential commodities have sky rocketed yet life goes on as it should. False narrative, this is what has been lapped up by the left leaning, so called liberal media in other parts of the country and it was left to the Imphal based media houses to tell the story as it happened with the Editors’ Guild, Manipur and All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union coming in whenever the need to meet any challenge was felt. All clear indications that the fight to protect or defend the understanding of Manipur as a distinct geo-political reality was and is being taken up by all responsible folks of the land, including the media. The reality this is and it would be wrong to downplay the contribution of anyone.
What is the way forward ? No easy answer here at all. More than obvious that it is beyond the State Government to take up any meaningful steps to put Manipur on the road to normalcy but it should not be forgotten that there is no other way other than sitting down and talking. This is where Delhi needs to step in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to break his silence and demonstrate that he is concerned about what is happening in Manipur. Ironic but true it is that the ongoing clash and violence in Manipur has become somewhat synonymous with the silence and indifference of the Prime Minister. That this has not gone down well with the people is best exemplified by the defeat the BJP candidate faced in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency as well as the drubbing the man who it had backed in the Outer Parliamentary Constituency received. Only two seats in the Lok Sabha and many have interpreted this to mean that only two MPs do not count in the overall scheme of things of the Prime Minister. Not something the doctor would advise to promote the idea of India amongst the people of Manipur. How jarring the silence has become is again exemplified by the very fact that it took RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to come out with ‘Give the Manipur issue top priority’ line. This is significant, for as keen RSS watchers have held, Bhagwat seldom speaks his mind out in the open, but now that he has, one wonders whether this would have an impact on the Prime Minister or not. Only the coming days will give the answer, but Manipur cannot continue like this for much longer. More than 400 days of the clash erupting with buffer zones literally criss crossing the length and breadth of Manipur and surely this is not how a State of the great Indian Union should exist.
What is the way forward ? No easy answer here at all. More than obvious that it is beyond the State Government to take up any meaningful steps to put Manipur on the road to normalcy but it should not be forgotten that there is no other way other than sitting down and talking. This is where Delhi needs to step in. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to break his silence and demonstrate that he is concerned about what is happening in Manipur. Ironic but true it is that the ongoing clash and violence in Manipur has become somewhat synonymous with the silence and indifference of the Prime Minister. That this has not gone down well with the people is best exemplified by the defeat the BJP candidate faced in the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency as well as the drubbing the man who it had backed in the Outer Parliamentary Constituency received. Only two seats in the Lok Sabha and many have interpreted this to mean that only two MPs do not count in the overall scheme of things of the Prime Minister. Not something the doctor would advise to promote the idea of India amongst the people of Manipur. How jarring the silence has become is again exemplified by the very fact that it took RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to come out with ‘Give the Manipur issue top priority’ line. This is significant, for as keen RSS watchers have held, Bhagwat seldom speaks his mind out in the open, but now that he has, one wonders whether this would have an impact on the Prime Minister or not. Only the coming days will give the answer, but Manipur cannot continue like this for much longer. More than 400 days of the clash erupting with buffer zones literally criss crossing the length and breadth of Manipur and surely this is not how a State of the great Indian Union should exist.