People's Democracy

WITH less than a month left for the President’s Rule in Manipur to expire, two divergent approaches to the issue of holding assembly elections in the state have emerged. While the BJP-Samata Party combine has expressed reservations to holding of elections along with those of UP, Punjab, Uttaranchal in early 2002, the Congress, CPI and CPI(M) are demanding an early election. The BJP-Samata is bidding to buy more time in the hope that people of Manipur will forgive and forget their misdemeanors.

It may be recalled that on June 18, the police fired upon people protesting against the extension of the cease-fire between the central government and the NSCN(I-M) to the entire North East region without consulting the state governments concerned. Twenty people had died. Extension of the cease-fire without territorial limits gave rise to fears of impingement of territorial integrity of the other North Eastern states while lending a sense of legitimacy to the greater Nagaland demand.

There was already an under current of anger against the defections and unseemly contest between the BJP and the Samata Party to head the coalition government, which ultimately ended with the imposition of President’s rule. The cease-fire extension saw the people venting out their spleen. Thousands of agitators marched through the streets of Imphal and other centres in the state against the cease-fire. Agitated protesters even burnt the assembly building, the chief minister’s secretariat, offices of some political parties and MLA quarters. With the unfortunate incidents of June 18 still lingering in people’s memory, the BJP and the Samata are averse to the idea of an early election.

As elections cannot be held before the end of the six-month period of President’s rule on December 2, 2001, the central government will have to seek parliament’s approval for an extension. Even while doing so, the Left and democratic parties will seek an assurance from the government that elections to the 8^th Manipur Legislative assembly be held in February alongwith other states going to the polls. With the College and University examinations set to take place between March and June followed by monsoon upto October, February is best suited for the conduct of the elections and the constitution of a democratically elected government. (INN)