The Delhi Pilgrimage of Manipur MLAs — A Comedy of Political Faith

It has now become a spectacle worth watching — our elected representatives from Manipur, not in their constituencies where voters await leadership, but camping in the national capital like anxious devotees waiting for divine intervention. The scene could almost be mistaken for a spiritual pilgrimage, except that the deity here is not in any temple but in the high-rise corridors of power — the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, and the BJP National President. And alas, these “demi-gods” seem far too busy to even grant an audience to their faithful followers from Manipur.
The irony is deliciously bitter. These MLAs, who were elected by the people with great faith and expectation, are now pleading not before the Governor — as per the Constitution mandates — but before party bosses in Delhi. If democracy is meant to empower the elected, then what we are witnessing is its parody. They have the numbers, they have the right, and yet they wait — not for a constitutional process, but for a nod from the high command. One wonders if the Constitution has now been replaced by a party rulebook.
In the age of social media, the visuals of our MLAs holding meetings in hotel lobbies and guest houses at Delhi’s Sardar Patel Marg have become a tragicomic theatre. The same individuals who once promised to defend Manipur’s interests now appear more like political tourists — seeking blessings rather than asserting their mandate. Their mission is clear: to “plead” for permission to form a government. The question is — plead to whom, and for what?
If our democracy were a stage play, this would surely be its farcical act. Even more amusing is the reported assurance from BJP’s North East in-charge, Dr. Sambit Patra. He is said to have consoled the restless MLAs that their wish to form a government will be fulfilled “before the extension of President’s Rule.” What an extraordinary promise — almost poetic in its vagueness. One could picture the MLAs nodding in hope, perhaps even applauding in relief, as if divine prophecy had been uttered. Yet, days later, they remain in Delhi, still uninvited, still unseen, still unheard.
There is something deeply embarrassing about the entire episode. Manipur, a state bleeding under multiple crises — administrative paralysis, violence, and displacement — deserves governance, not drama. Instead of rallying their strength and asserting their constitutional right before the Governor, our MLAs have chosen the path of political pilgrimage, trading dignity for party discipline.
What makes it even more tragic is their apparent helplessness. These are not new entrants in politics; many among them have served multiple terms, some even as ministers. Yet, in Delhi, they seem reduced to couriers of petitions, waiting in corridors, calling media friends to declare “we have submitted our request to meet the leadership.” The leadership, meanwhile, appears to have mastered the art of invisibility.
And as the deadline for President’s Rule extension inches closer, one can almost imagine the MLAs lighting metaphorical candles at the altar of party power, praying that the “divine message” from Delhi arrives in time. It is not democracy; it is devotion gone wrong.
In the end, this spectacle is not just about one party or one group of MLAs — it is a mirror to how political centralisation has devoured state autonomy. The people of Manipur voted for leaders, not messengers. If those leaders now wait for Delhi’s approval to do what their constitutional duty demands, then perhaps the real President’s Rule has already begun — not in law, but in spirit.
Until then, our MLAs will continue their vigil in Delhi, hoping for a glimpse, a handshake, a word of approval from their political gods. After all, faith can move mountains — or at least, so they must believe, as they continue their endless wait in the corridors of power.