‘One engine collapsed, centre must consider doing more’: Editorials on Manipur all-party meet

Hailing the first all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur, editorials in prominent English dailies have pointed out the need for the Centre to do more to kickstart the political reconciliation process as “boots on the ground are no replacement”.

Attended by representatives of 18 parties, the all-party meeting on Saturday chaired by union home minister Amit Shah saw the demand for the removal of Biren Singh as Manipur chief minister. While Singh was not present at the meeting, some of the attendees claimed his government had been acting in a “partisan” manner. The representatives also demanded that an all-party delegation be sent to Imphal to restore the confidence of the people in a state where more than 130 have been killed since the beginning of ethnic violence.

In an editorial headlined “the task in Manipur”, the Indian Express noted that Biren Singh government has watched the ground slip. “BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk about a double-engine sarkar and the benefits it entails. Its government in Imphal, seen as partisan, is discredited and seems to be ineffective in bringing the situation under control.”

“The killings have stopped, as Shah said, but mobs continue to rule the streets and successfully stall the efforts of armed forces to detain rioters and miscreants suspected to be members of banned terror groups. The fact is the administration on the ground has been found wanting, a point the Opposition highlighted at the Saturday meeting.”

The paper said the Centre must “step in and fix the deficit of authority on the ground”. “One engine of governance has collapsed for sure, it is now for the other to step up and enable the administration to get back on track. The State has to regain control of the street, establish its authority and regain the trust of citizens. The Centre could consider the Opposition’s suggestion for an all-party delegation to visit Manipur. It will send out the message that there is no partisanship in the search for a resolution and the nation is united in wanting to end the violence.”

“All this will require a concerted effort from the Centre to continue engaging with the Opposition and exploring spaces that may help address the disquiet in Manipur. Ethnic tensions in the state are not a recent development nor are simple solutions available to resolve them. But the immediate step is to end the violence and restore the command of the State…Demonising the neighbour or mob violence has never helped resolve political problems – Manipur’s crisis is political and its solutions have to be found in politics.”

The Hindustan Times, meanwhile, underlined that the all-party meeting is a “good start” but the Centre “must consider doing more to get a grip on law and order, and take strong steps to kickstart the political reconciliation process”.

“Already struggling to control simmering ethnic clashes that have driven a deep wedge between communities, the security forces in Manipur are now dealing with a new problem – mobs, some of them led by women, blocking the path of personnel trying to reach violence-hit villages and even thwarting combing operations.” 

The editorial noted that these incidents highlight the “difficult road that lies ahead for the northeastern state, and the need for an urgent reconciliation process”, with the peace panel set up by the central government running “into rough weather after prominent Kuki and Meitei groups distanced themselves from it”.

However, a Times of India editorial, headlined “Imphal imperative”, did not point as much to the Centre’s or state’s role in the political reconciliation process. “Only all-party delegations, with politicians abjurring differences for now, can arrest Manipur violence,” read the strap of the editorial.

“Without the internet, the state, even if it wants to, has few ways to communicate with the public at large; boots on the ground are no replacement. This is exactly why security brass has reiterated that the need of the hour is political intervention; that the ethnic rift today is too wide and that military force is ‘not an option’.”

The editorial said the army has long fought insurgent groups of the three major communities in Manipur. “This time around, it has helped the state government as required. Military leaders have maintained the situation is not one of counter-insurgency but of ‘law and order’.” 

“The all-party meeting last week, the first such on Manipur, is the surest way ahead to arrest the violence and restore governance. Political parties must set aside their rivalries in the short-term. All-party delegations and fact-finding missions have seldom failed to throw up working solutions. Get everyone to the table. But move fast. It is a matter of time before radical groups occupy the political space rapidly ceded by the state government and the local bureaucracy, split as both seem to be on ethnic lines.”