Lifting of Manipur blockade is Biren govt’s biggest feat

Quelling protests over creation of new districts and burial of bodies of eight people killed in the 2015 police firing in Churachandpur were two key missions the govt realised

GUWAHATI/IMPHAL: Having been an ace footballer, Nongthongbam Biren was expected to dribble out of critical situations. He did, and gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its first government in Manipur, albeit in coalition with regional parties.

The BJP came from behind to end 15 years of Congress rule in Manipur. The saffron party won 21 of the 60 assembly seats, seven less than the Congress which was three short of the majority mark. But BJP weaned away a Congress MLA and formed an alliance with three parties to form the government on May 15.

Given Manipur’s history of insurgency and ethnic conflicts necessitating a fine balancing act, the BJP’s focus on keeping the alliance government on track has kept it away from experimenting with anything viewed as proHindutva.

The Biren government has so far given the impression that it is intent on mending fences and bridging the ethnic divide — within Manipur and with neighbouring states.

This is significant, as most governments in Manipur are accused of being pro-Imphal Valley dominated by nontribal people.

“The biggest challenge was to do in 15 months what the previous (Okram Ibobi Singh) government could not in 15 years. I set out by trying to bridge the gap between the hills and valley people created by the last government,” Biren said.

He added that he realised two of his key missions to restore normalcy in the state within two months of taking charge. The first was lifting of the 140day economic blockade by Nagas protesting the creation of new districts and the second was the burial of bodies of eight people killed in police firing in Churachandpur in 2015 over three bills that were labelled anti-tribal.

Another high point was the meeting between Biren and his Nagaland counterpart Shurhozelie Liezietsu in May. Biren had invited Shurhozelie in a bid to bring the two states — at loggerheads over the unified Naga homeland agenda of Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland — closer.

But a road rage case involving his son Ajay returned to haunt Biren, particularly after a Supreme Court lawyer accused his government of harassing him and the parents of Irom Roger, the youth Ajay had killed to invite a fiveyear sentence.

The opposition Congress has found fault with the BJP-led government on other counts too.

“This government has not achieved anything. It is continuing with what the previous government had taken up. There is no visible sign of resolving the PDS crisis, construction of highways, national sports university. They are even struggling to convene the monsoon session of assembly,” N Loken, Congress legislator representing Nambol constituency, said.