Manipur: Time for New CM or President's Rule but Absence of Clear Thinking Means Problem Will Remain

Time for a new CM or President's rule in Manipur but absence of will and clear thinking is the problem: Pradip Phanjoubam, Senior Journalist, columnist and author, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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One of the most highly regarded and widely respected voices from Imphal, the capital of Manipur, has said that it’s time for a new Chief Minister or President’s rule in Manipur but added that it seems absence of will and clear thinking is the problem.



In a 18-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Pradip Phanjoubam, a senior journalist, columnist and author, says the Central government has allowed the crisis in Manipur to become a frozen conflict. But this has not led to peace instead we have, from time to time, the absence of violence but periodically, as happened recently in Jiribam, violence, deaths and abduction erupt.



Pradip Phanjoubam identified two reasons why even after 18 months the crisis in Manipur has not been brought under control. The first is that the Centre and the state government have shied away from forceful action. The Indian state has not asserted it’s control. There has not been the required show of state power.



The second reason is that because the BJP controls both the Central and state government in Manipur, Delhi is reluctant to act in any way that would taint the BJP government in Manipur.



I will stop there. This is a very topical interview. In the last eight days since 7th of November at least 14 people have been killed and 6 more abducted. The Centre has extended AFSPA to 6 police station areas in the Valley and rushed in an additional 2,500 soldiers.



But is this enough? Pradip Phanjoubam believes it’s not. What we need is the will and clear thinking in Delhi to assert state power and bring the crisis under control.


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