The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity – COCOMI today declared two legislators as “enemies of the people” for attending the inaugural function of the Sangai Festival despite public opposition.
In a statement issued by Laikhuram Jayenta, Convenor of the IPR Sub-Committee, the organisation said people across the state had held protests on November 21, the opening day of the festival, contending that the current situation in Manipur was not apt for such festivities. Several persons reportedly sustained injuries during the agitation.
COCOMI said the state government went ahead with the inauguration by using force to suppress the protesters. The organisation expressed surprise and disappointment that Thongam Biswajit Singh, MLA of Thongju Assembly Constituency, and Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, MLA of Nambol Assembly Constituency, attended the event in defiance of the public sentiment.
The organization questioned how people should perceive the actions of the two MLAs, stating that their participation amounted to openly challenging the collective voice of the public. COCOMI further asked the residents of Thongju and Nambol to reflect upon the conduct of their elected representatives as the MLAs attended the festival in their official capacity.
COCOMI has appealed to the people in both the constituencies to discuss the issue with their MLAs and decide on how they view the actions taken during the inauguration of the festival.
If our leadership stands opposed to the will and desire of our own people and acts in direct opposition, then democracy’s very meaning and the purpose of elected representatives become futile. When our leaders disregard the cries and concerns of the people and fail to understand the suffering we endure, the people feel that such leaders no longer represent them. These leaders try to suppress the people instead of standing with them, continuing to act against public sentiment. And when the people can no longer count on their representatives, the trust between them and the elected leaders is broken, and the leaders become irrelevant in the eyes of the people.
When two MLAs participate in activities that go completely against the people’s wishes and take part in an event the people have been opposing, it becomes an act that deeply hurts the entire state. If such actions continue in the future, and if these MLAs and others who behave similarly fail to stand with the people in their time of suffering, then it clearly shows that our society is turning into a system ruled not by democracy but by authoritarian or dictatorial leadership.
Due to this incident, people have come to understand more precisely the behavior and attitude of those who consider themselves VIPs and intentionally stay ahead in such actions.
Activist Rohan Philem, on account of standing boldly in front of them and questioning their conduct, has come into wide recognition and appreciation by the people, and many platforms have acknowledged his courage. Nevertheless, after all that, people now fully understand what the attitude and intention of the two MLAs who went ahead of the public truly are.
COCOMI further appealed to the people of Manipur to clearly understand the actions of the two MLAs, Thongam Biswajit and Thounaojam Basanta, who had completely disregarded public sentiment and the concerns of the IDPs by attending the inauguration of Sangai Festival. The organization stated that such acts must be recognized as going against the collective feeling of the people.
COCOMI also urged the public to remember that representatives elected to the Assembly with the votes of the people—including IDPs—should not act in ways that disregard the voices of those very people who placed them in office. The organization appealed to the people to carefully reflect on what should be done next so that this public sentiment can be conveyed effectively to the Central leadership.
COCOMI said it is the collective voice of the people; whatever concerns it has raised today are the same issues deeply affecting the people, along with the sufferings of the IDPs. The organisation stressed that such matters cannot be taken lightly and both the government and the people must treat them with utmost seriousness. COCOMI reiterated that it will stand firmly on these issues in the interest of the state and its people.