 "Irom Sharmila")
Irom Sharmila Chanu, also called the “Iron Lady” of Manipur, has found that her people are less than happy about her decision to end her 16-year fast and enter politics.
“I have been fasting for 16 years and have got nothing from it. I want to try a different agitation now. I want to join politics. I am the embodiment of revolution in Manipur. I want to become chief minister of Manipur to bring a positive change and end Afspa (Armed Forces Special Powers Act, a controversial anti-insurgent law) in the state,” Sharmila had told mediapersons in Imphal on Tuesday.
However, the people of Manipur do not seem to agree with her decision. According to The Indian Express, less than 24 hours after ending her fast, Sharmila was back at the special ward of JNIMS Hospital in Imphal — which has been her home through the majority of her self-imposed fast.
No home to go back to
Sharmila had planned to stay with a friend, but, according to NDTV, the 44-year-old activist found the gates of the locality where said friend lives barred. The report added that even the local ISKCON temple did not offer Sharmila shelter after she was turned away from the locality.
Finally, the report said that by late Wednesday evening, the Manipur chapter of the Indian Red Cross offered Sharmila shelter.
"Can't remain a martyr forever"
Faced with the ire of her people, Sharmila, according to The Indian Express, said, “I’m very disappointed."
She did not stop there though. “At that moment, I felt the best thing for them would have been beating me to death. What is the difference between being beaten to death or dying from fasting. Not much,” she said, adding, “They want me to remain a martyr forever. But I can’t always be a martyr.”
After ending her fast, Sharmila had announced her intention to join the state's politics and had revealed that the Janata Dal-United had offered her "full support".
Speaking to ANI about the backlash she was facing from a segment of Manipuris, Sharmila had said: "They misunderstood me, about my real being. They have been seeing me from their own version without connecting with my heart."
Common folk not buying it
Speaking to The Times of India, Ratan Saikhom, an Imphal resident, said: "Her decisions have washed away our trust.... She has broken her own promise to fast till AFSPA is repealed. This is tantamount to fooling the public."
Saikhom is not alone in his criticism of Sharmila. "Irom Sharmila has let down the battle against Afspa so we don't want her here. She had started her agitation. She should have ended it," a student from the state told NDTV.
Sharmila still resolute
Despite having broken her fast, Sharmila is maintaining her resolve not to clip her nails, comb her hair or go to her house and meet her mother till Afspa is repealed.
Since her fast began, Sharmila has not visited her house at Kongpal Kongkham Leikai, on the edge of Imphal city, even once.
