Manipur madness

How much has changed? South India, with its commitment to reforms, is still the hope of India. The barbarians from Afghanistan continue to gather at the gates of India. Kashmir and the Northeast continue to be as troubled as ever. And the masters of the Indian heartland, the teeming plains of the Ganga, continue to bicker.

Or do they? I confess that I may be clutching at straws here, but I see some faint hope that India’s leaders have learned the lessons of history and are, finally, able to rise above personal interests where national interests are concerned. While this column has never been a fan of the Congress (I), let me pay tribute where it is due — to Sonia Gandhi.

The president of the Congress (I) has been taken to task on previous occasions for her hemming and hawing. In Bihar, she began by calling for the resignation of the Rashtriya Janata Dal ministry — and then proceeded to form a coalition with it. The Congress (I) tried taking credit for initiating reforms — and then senior Congressmen mauled Manmohan Singh. Against this background, may I say how refreshing it was to see the Leader of the Opposition step forward to take two measured, courageous steps: On Manipur and on economic policy.

Sonia Gandhi’s speech at the FICCI meet was a pleasure to hear. While warning her audience that there were compulsions to being in the Opposition, she seized the occasion to reiterate her party’s commitment to economic liberalisation. I don’t know who her speech-writer was for the event, but I hope that the Congress (I) president keeps him on!

Or could it be that we were finally hearing the voice of Sonia Gandhi herself, untrammelled by anyone in her entourage? That is a possibility, given that she followed up one courageous pronouncement with another: Her decision to back the Union Government on Manipur.

I am not sure if most people realise just how bad the situation has become in the Northeast. Our beloved western neighbour has made sure that the ISI has gained a claw-hold. There are some elements supported by China. And it is all too easy for militants to disappear across porous frontiers into Bangladesh and Myanmar. So what exactly is it that makes Manipur worse than its sister states?

Simply this: Nowhere else are ministers accused of being hand in glove with militants. Have you ever heard of a minister attending a militant’s funeral after he was brought down by the security forces? If not, look no farther than the deputy chief minister of Manipur! But he was not alone — two terrorists were found in the transport minister’s bedroom, and another minister allegedly paid lakhs of rupees to another outfit to buy arms. Some say as much as Rs 50 crore pumped in by ministers as a group every year!

The police is completely helpless. In fact, officers have admitted that they are forced to pay "protection money" to the militant groups. The situation is so bad that funds have been sanctioned so that policemen can buy back weapons that have been captured from them!

The policemen’s colleagues, the officers of the mighty Indian Administrative Service, have been cowed into absolute compliance. They sit at home rather than risk running into some militant in office. That is not an exaggeration — Manipur’s terrorist groups think nothing of strolling in to dabble with files.

I assume they are just taking turns to practice running the state. This, if matters continue to drift, cannot be too far away. The militants are already running a parallel government — operating everything from ration shops to collecting taxes. Other than IAS and IPS officers, does anybody in the wretched state actually pay income tax to the Government of India?

By any reckoning Manipur is a fit case for President’s Rule. The Constitutional machinery hasn’t just collapsed in the state, it has been taken over by the militants. These facts are nothing new, but have been long known to the Government of India. So why hasn’t the Manipur ministry been kicked out long since?

The answer is that such a decision must be ratified by both Houses of Parliament. It is known to everyone that the Vajpayee ministry lacks a majority in the Rajya Sabha. Effectively, the threat of President’s Rule is meaningless unless the support of the Congress (I) is forthcoming.

I would like to pay my tribute to the front benches on both the Treasury and the Opposition for the maturity they displayed on this occasion. The prime minister decided to approach the leader of the opposition in a kind of ‘Track Two’ diplomacy. Once she signalled her interest, the home minister spoke to her in person, and the Union home secretary presented her with all the unhappy details.

It would have been easy for Sonia Gandhi to pretend that this was something for the Union government to handle on its own. She could have threatened to block any move in the Rajya Sabha. She did nothing of the kind, instead offering to work together in the interests of the nation.

Manipur is a small state, but that does not diminish what Sonia Gandhi has done. She has just signalled her determination to offer cooperation where national interests are at stake. If we are lucky, we may see more of the same when it comes to tackling the ISI, or the Women’s Reservation Bill, or disinvestment.

The last year ended on a bitter note thanks to the hijacking of Flight IC-814 to Kandahar. Today, thanks in part to Sonia Gandhi, I can sincerely wish everyone a “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

Ever heard of a minister attending a militant’s funeral after he was brought down by the security forces? If not, look no farther than the deputy CM of Manipur!