The ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis has emboldened the terrorists in the northeastern state of Manipur. This became quite apparent when this week, four woodcutters belonging to the Meitei community of Bishnupur district went missing. Later, the bodies of three of them were discovered. One woodcutter is still missing. According to reports, it is suspected that the three were murdered in cold blood by suspected Kuki terrorists.
On the first day of the New Year, five Meitei Pangals (Meitei Muslims) of Thoubal district were allegedly killed by the People’s Liberation Army, a Meitei terrorist group. It has to be mentioned that Meitei Pangals, like Nagas, have so far, restrained themselves from taking sides in the ongoing ethnic conflict. On the other hand, Moreh town, situated on the India-Myanmar border, has allegedly become a centre of terrorists. In the last few days, the suspected Kuki terrorists have targeted security personnel in the border town.
The rise of terrorism in the northeastern state is a matter of concern. The terrorist groups belonging to both Meitei and Kuki-Zomi groups are taking advantage of the current polarisation and rearing their heads by trying to portray themselves as "saviours" of their community. With the security deteriorating in the state, it is the need of the hour to destroy the terrorist networks. Hope that both the Centre and the state governments are serious and will take bold steps against both the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi terrorists.
Will Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra Boost Congress’s Electoral Chances In Northeast?
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will launch his second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra, rebranded as the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, on January 14 from the northeastern state of Manipur. The yatra was to be started from Hapta Kanjeibung public ground of Imphal but was rescheduled by the grand old party this week after the state government gave permission for a limited number of participants to take part in the launch. Now, the yatra will start from a private land in the Khongjam area of Thoubal district, the party has decided.
The northeastern state, which is now witnessing a rise in terrorism, deserves attention. Unfortunately, the developments of the state, after briefly getting attention, are being ignored in the mainstream discussion. At such a crucial time, the decision to begin the yatra from Manipur is a welcome move by the Congress. Rahul Gandhi's Manipur visit is likely to bring back the topic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hesitation to visit the trouble-torn state.
Apart from Manipur, the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra will go to other northeastern states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. Out of these states, the yatra is going to give special importance to Assam, which has 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of the total 25 constituencies of the northeastern region. This is clear as the yatra will be in the state for eight days.
Of the total 25 constituencies of the region, Congress was able to win four in the last Lok Sabha elections — 3 in Assam and 1 in Meghalaya. The electoral fortunes of the party have been dwindling in the region and this became clear in the results of assembly elections of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. In Assam, the party, although in a better position in comparison to other states of the region, hasn’t been able to wrest from BJP its lost base. But after the delimitation exercise, demographics of various constituencies have changed, making the fight difficult for the Congress, which has the challenge to not only retain its three seats but also win more seats. Apart from this, there is also the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front, which is likely to cut into the Muslim votes and thus, hurt the prospects of the Congress.
In Tripura, the party was able to open its account in the last assembly elections as a result of its partnership with the CPI(M). The state Congress leadership had announced that Priyanka Gandhi would visit the state last December but she didn’t. Now, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will also skip this northeastern state. Optically, this yatra sounds good but how much it would help the party electorally will depend on the party's right and consistent strategies in the northeastern states.
BJP Gets Its First Rajya Sabha Representative From Sikkim
This week BJP’s DT Lepcha won the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Sikkim uncontested. He became the first saffron representative to the Upper House from the Himalayan state. It has to be mentioned that the saffron party has 12 legislators in the Sikkim Assembly, which has a total of 32 constituencies. But it was the support of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha with 19 legislators that helped the saffron party to reach the upper house.
Of these, 10 legislators joined the party from the main Opposition Sikkim Democratic Front in 2019 and these legislators were led by DT Lepcha, who has now been rewarded with the Rajya Sabha seat by the party’s central leadership. The remaining two seats were won by the BJP in the bypolls as a result of the alliance with the SKM. Although the saffron party has a representative in the Rajya Sabha and has 12 legislators in the state assembly, the party has yet to prove its strength in the state elections.
Having said this, the development of Sikkim is a repeat of the Nagaland situation, where the BJP was able to send its first representative to the Upper House with the help of its ally — the ruling Nagaland Democratic Progressive Party of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. This development comes at a time when the state BJP has been criticising its ally SKM government led by PS Golay and has even declared its intentions to contest the upcoming state elections alone. It has to be mentioned that the BJP is not even a part of the SKM government.
So, will the saffron party form an alliance with the SKM? Although nothing has been said as of now from either side, this development has given momentum to the speculation. Also, it remains to be seen what the SKM will extract from the saffron party’s central leadership in lieu of ceding the only Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP.
The author is a political commentator.
[Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.]
Manipur Violence Continues Unabated. State Needs And Awaits Some Bold Steps Now
10
14
14.01.2024
The ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis has emboldened the terrorists in the northeastern state of Manipur. This became quite apparent when this week, four woodcutters belonging to the Meitei community of Bishnupur district went missing. Later, the bodies of three of them were discovered. One woodcutter is still missing. According to reports, it is suspected that the three were murdered in cold blood by suspected Kuki terrorists.
On the first day of the New Year, five Meitei Pangals (Meitei Muslims) of Thoubal district were allegedly killed by the People’s Liberation Army, a Meitei terrorist group. It has to be mentioned that Meitei Pangals, like Nagas, have so far, restrained themselves from taking sides in the ongoing ethnic conflict. On the other hand, Moreh town, situated on the India-Myanmar border, has allegedly become a centre of terrorists. In the last few days, the suspected Kuki terrorists have targeted security personnel in the border town.
The rise of terrorism in the northeastern state is a matter of concern. The terrorist groups belonging to both Meitei and Kuki-Zomi groups are taking advantage of the current polarisation and rearing their heads by trying to portray themselves as "saviours" of their community. With the security deteriorating in the state, it is the need of the hour to destroy the terrorist networks. Hope that both the Centre and the state governments are serious and will take bold steps against both the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi terrorists.
Will Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra Boost Congress’s Electoral Chances In Northeast?
Former Congress president Rahul........
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