Resign call from Khemchand to CM Toll of the ongoing clash
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First time that a sitting BJP MLA and that too a Minister in the Government has come out in the open to state that he had asked Chief Minister N Biren to resign in the face of the law and order crisis in the State. It is not clear when the ‘resign’ suggestion was given to the Chief Minister, but this is the first time that a senior BJP member has gone to the press to announce that the Chief Minister must resign in the face of the ongoing crisis in the State. Speaker in the first stint of the BJP led Government after the 2017 Assembly elections, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Yumnam Khemchand, representing Singjamei Assembly Constituency, is not new to public life having contested the 2012 Assembly elections as a candidate of the All India Trinamool Congress before switching to the BJP before the 2017 Assembly elections and his statement to CNN-News18 is definitely not something to be taken lightly for here is a case of a BJP MLA openly stating that it would be for the good of Manipur if the Chief Minister calls it a day. Tough to say whether the same sentiment is shared by the other BJP MLAs, but significant to note that this came not long after the State NPP MLAs decided to sever all ties with the Biren led Government. Here it is significant to note that the NPP qualified the severing of ties not with the BJP per se but with the Biren led Government and this seems to have been buttressed by the open admission of the RD and PR Minister in the BJP led Government. That the Chief Minister has not heeded the suggestion of Khemchand is there for all to see, but it would be interesting to see how things progress from here. It may just begin and end with the BJP MLA stating that he had given his suggestion to the Chief Minister to resign or it can be taken further, but the die has been cast and it would be interesting to see if any other BJP MLA would follow suit or not. It is also important to note that other than asking the Chief Minister to put in his papers, the RD and PR Minister did not think it fit to spell out what after that ? Is the call to the Chief Minister to step down issued because the violence has dragged on for over 18 months with no signs of stopping or is the Minister under the impression that with Biren out of the away, some sort of a normalcy can set in ? No easy answer here, but a beginning has to be made somewhere and if the Chief Minister can be held accountable for failing to come up with any initiative to resolve the violence, then what about Delhi ? Shouldn’t Delhi be asked on why it continues to act indifferently, other than just sending in more and more troops to contain the situation ? And has sending in more troops succeeded in taking the place to the path of normalcy ? The answer should be obvious and Manipur is yet to come to terms with the fact that three children and three women were butchered to death after they were taken captives from a relief centre set up by the Government.
Imphal has failed and so has Delhi. But what is the way forward ? Will a change in leadership pave the way to start walking the path of normalcy ? As noted earlier here, there will be no easy answer but yes the people are fed up with the utter failure of the Government to ensure the security of the people. Even today, that is after 18 months of the violence erupting, no Meitei can travel by road to Dimapur, as passengers have to pass through Kangpokpi. No Kuki would dare to return to Imphal and claim the homes from which they have been driven out. No Meitei would dare step back at Churachandpur for the houses they once called homes have been levelled to the ground. Thousands continue to survive in the different relief centres set up across the State and there is not even the slightest hint that the Government is working overtime to create a situation when the internally displaced persons can return to the place they once called home. And the killing continues. Herein lies the biggest failure of the Government and it is against this backdrop that Yumnam Khemchand had asked the Chief Minister to step down. The man from Singjamei Assembly Constituency has spoken his mind out and it remains to be seen if others from the BJP and in the Government would feel convinced to speak out where they stand. Yet it may also be asked on what the MLAs have done to help resolve the crisis.
Imphal has failed and so has Delhi. But what is the way forward ? Will a change in leadership pave the way to start walking the path of normalcy ? As noted earlier here, there will be no easy answer but yes the people are fed up with the utter failure of the Government to ensure the security of the people. Even today, that is after 18 months of the violence erupting, no Meitei can travel by road to Dimapur, as passengers have to pass through Kangpokpi. No Kuki would dare to return to Imphal and claim the homes from which they have been driven out. No Meitei would dare step back at Churachandpur for the houses they once called homes have been levelled to the ground. Thousands continue to survive in the different relief centres set up across the State and there is not even the slightest hint that the Government is working overtime to create a situation when the internally displaced persons can return to the place they once called home. And the killing continues. Herein lies the biggest failure of the Government and it is against this backdrop that Yumnam Khemchand had asked the Chief Minister to step down. The man from Singjamei Assembly Constituency has spoken his mind out and it remains to be seen if others from the BJP and in the Government would feel convinced to speak out where they stand. Yet it may also be asked on what the MLAs have done to help resolve the crisis.