The state today is slowly getting hemmed in with all sorts of protests, blockades and agitations, gradually chocking the life out of it. And like a nightmare that keeps repeating itself over and over again, in spite of the fact that most of these social disruptions are predictable, yet nothing has been done to ease the situation or alleviate the conditions. As of today, the roads which are serving as lifelines of the people of the state has been blocked by various social organizations and groups, either in protest of various incidents of perceived injustice, excessive atrocities by authorities or against the callous indifference of the state government. Such social unrests also provide an opportunity for various unscrupulous elements to further swindle and cheat the already harassed public for their personal gain. The rising desperation and increasing sense of alienation fuelled by the indifference and inaction of the government have turned the collective mindset of the public into a suspicious and opportunistic one. The resulting social situation is one of instinctive, aggressive and easily provoked public who are perennially on the lookout for ways to vent their frustrations.
One peculiarity of the fallout of the innumerable disruptions and social unrests being played out in the state is the eventual conceding of the state government to the demands, which raised the question: is the state government deliberately trying to stall the issues and genuine demands of the public? Or, is it that the state government lacks the political will and the integrity to stand up against the public, or even popular opinions for that matter, for issues it believes will prove detrimental to the development and progress of the society? The typical mode of handling public issues of the Manipur government have spawned a rather dangerous trend- that of resorting to vandalism, public disruptions and destructive demonstrations. It has come to be a generally acceptable public opinion to assume that the most effective form of forcing a demand on the government at present is to take out a violent and destructive form of agitation- the bloodier the better.
And now the most inexplicable question- what has been preventing or holding back the state government from taking actions for the various burning issues in the first place before all the unwanted disruptions and agitations started, if it is to ultimately do the biddings of the public?
The public is getting fed up of the indifferent, callous and reluctant attitude of those who are supposed to be safeguarding the welfare and progress of the state and its people. The mushrooming social organizations, groups of individuals and special interest groups taking up various issues concerning the society is a stark testimony to the abject failure of the state government to carry out its sworn duty. For whatever it might amount to, a lot of the present hassles and disruptions could have been avoided if due attention and necessary action had been taken up in time. The people are still watching and waiting for the next step.
