THE PARADOX OF THE APPROACH TO THE MANIPUR ISSUE

As the stalemated conflict in Manipur completes two years, the veritable wait for the Godot of political settlement continues to remain elusive.

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Despite unleashing a trail of devastation, the loss of over 250 lives and an unfolding human tragedy which compelled thousands of internally displaced persons to live in sub-human makeshift relief centres for over two years, Manipur's violence has not secured a high-order-of-national-priority. This is gallingly evident as Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintains his stoic refusal to visit the State and offer a definitive road map to break the impasse. This compares starkly with the topmost-priority accorded by him to the Pahalgam terror strike on April 22, which led to the curtailment of his official visit to Saudi Arabia and the announcement of policy measures.

The very short military stand-off between India and Pakistan and the swift response made eminent sense given the overwhelming and dominant mood of the nation that something decisive had to be done not only to decimate terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control, but also penalise Pakistan for its alleged sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. As the stand-off and the terms of the understanding/ceasefire likely to be agreed upon by the two nuclear powers continue to take centre-stage, it is highly unlikely that Manipur's continuing human tragedy and political impasse will get the serious attention it deserves.

The approach to the northeast

What explains this paradox? And in what way does this follow a broader pattern of New Delhi's engagement with Manipur, and, by extension, Northeast India?