Election euphoria is silencing some of most important issue of the state. People now have stopped talking about draconian AFSPA and hardly spare time to discuss issue of massive human rights violation committed under various outdated laws, at which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to scrape while delivering his infamous speech at Madison Square Garden in New York, few months after becoming the Prime Minister of India.
For Congress who is in power in the state, issue of territorial integrity is assumed as the effective cards to play with the voters. The congress really have advantage as BJP is in power at the center and is the political party that will get blame or appreciation for the outcome of the peace talk with the NSCN-IM. The signing of Frame work agreement and concealing the details of the agreement is another advantage of the congress party in attacking the rival BJP.
However, the apple of discord between a civil society group at Churachandpur and people in valley demanding legislation for protection of an Inner Line Permit system make the Congress party handicapped. They appeared to have been caught between the devil and deep blue sea. JCILPS hard stands to make 1951 as the baseline for original residents of the state and the JAC CCpur strong opposition to introduction of any ILPS Bill is perhaps the greatest challenge the ruling congress is facing.
The issues are of no worry to the congress as they understand the mentality of the voters. The congress is now concentrating on mass recruitment at government departments. They have been issuing notifications and conducted DPC for recruitment of various post in the government department. These recruited candidates or who are in the list for recruitment are considered as bonus votes for the congress. Thanks to the CEO Manipur, for directing the state government to furnish all details for recruitment and undertaking recruitment at various government department that has been taking place since April 1 this year.
As for the BJP the issue of Territorial Integrity has been left aside and the ILPS is of no serious matter as they consider these issues to be of no help in election. As some of the BJP hard ore in the center are strong advocate of draconian AFSPA, the party now had stopped mentioning about draconian AFSPA. Like the congress the party now firmly believe in the developmental matra as well as providing of easy access to central government grant-in-aid is more important to win more seats in the upcoming assembly poll.
For reason best known the political party who had promised to punish those involved in the multi-crores Loktak scam has remain silent. The party is also silence to fight corruption with appropriate tool, so no words have been spell out to establish Lok Ayukta.
Once the election notification has been issued the simmer talk about real issues of the state will all gone under the blanket. And people will start enjoying the festival – the festival that happened every five years. ILPS or Anti-ILPS is not going to give any impact to this election , Chief Minister Okram Ibobi as well as BJP leader Th. Chaoba knows this.
