Govt gropes for way out as Manipur situation worsens

Indian goods boycotted, agitation to be stepped up

A dangerous situation developed in Manipur involving the boycott of "India-made" goods as the Union government continued to agonise between condoning the state government action of lifting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in virtual defiance of the Centre, and reimposing the Act which would amount to emasculation of the Congress-led state government's authority.

Both the Centre and the state have jurisdiction in notifying the Act.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs yesterday discussed the Manipur issue and Home Minister Shivraj Patil is slated to make a statement in Parliament on Tuesday on the emerging situation in the state.

Reports from Imphal said arterial roads in the state were blocked as "Indian-made" mineral water and soft drinks were prevented from coming into the state.

The road blocks were removed by police later. A civil disobedience movement in government offices is on since August 9. The 32-member council of groups that is running the agitation is going to incrementally step up its campaign.

Much of the blame for mishandling Manipur was being laid at the door of the Union home ministry, which was seen as neither acting effectively against the Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh nor against the offenders, Assam Rifles, which comes under the home ministry's control.

Top sources in government said they had no doubts about the identity of those involved in the rape of Manorama Devi on July 11 that sparked protests against Assam Rifles. Sources said the government was aware that offenders had shot Manorama Devi in the genitals to prevent DNA identification.

Quick and effective dispensation of justice at the instance of the home ministry could have defused the spearheading protest, sources said. Home Minister Shivraj Patil had announced that he would go to Manipur but instead sent Minister of State Sriprakash Jaiswal, sending the message that the problem could be contained at a lower level of the government hierarchy.

A delegation of leaders from Manipur called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The delegation nearly did not meet the Prime Minister because the bureaucracy was opposed to the meeting.

"It was at the instance of the Congress that the Prime Minister met them and told them action would be taken to punish the guilty. We have not yet been able to deliver on that simple promise," a top leader said.

It is also puzzling that instead of MK Narayan, special advisor to the Prime Minister, JN Dixit, national security adviser was sent to the state. Internal security is Narayan's provenance.

Technically, Ibobi Singh became the second Congress chief minister after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, to thumb his nose at the Centre, by using a provision in the Armed Forces Special Powers Act that enabled him to throw out the Act in an area that covers 10 per cent of Manipur's population.

But party sources said Ibobi Singh had discussed the issue with Ahmad Patel, Congress general secretary and adviser to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, before taking the step.

If he had not done so, his government would have fallen as 8 Congress ministers had announced that they would resign from the government if no gesture was made to publicly dilute the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. "We thought: 'is it a good idea to let an elected government fall?'" said a source in the government.

In the first set of reactions on the issue, the BJP yesterday charged the UPA government with remaining a "mute spectator" to the unrest in Manipur and demanded that the Prime Minister initiate a "political dialogue".

"Manipur is burning and the Prime Minister, home minister or home secretary have not bothered to visit the state so far. The government is keeping silent and following a policy of wait and watch instead of taking action," BJP Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.