"NOT A WORD on MANIPUR" An open letter to PM

 "NOT A  WORD on MANIPUR"

Dear Modiji,

Your silence cuts like a knife! "It hurts like hell". Surprisingly the silent treatment for more than a month by India's most vocal, non-stop Maan  ki baat champion, social media  savvy Pradhan Mantriji on the #manipurisburning  Manipur mayhem did not come as a surprise since the abandonment of rule of law, complete breakdown of law and order and state's failure to protect it's citizen had taken the entire populace of Manipur by surprise!

It's our fault, yes we expect a li'l too much maybe. We might have just forgotten that you only come to godforsaken places like ours - Manipur or NE India only when there is an election or the goal was to bring about Congress Mukht Bharat in NE India. Having achieved that we longer matter, no that we ever mattered when political calculation was the yardstick to determine who matters. Fools that we are, we should have timed the killings and torching of each other's houses before elections or something like that. We should have picked May 3, 2024. May this be a reminder to all the Wisemen and leaders who claim to fight for the common people and for their cause that the next time you plan 'something big'  or 'the big blow', kindly time it right. Just follow the election cycle.  I think we should blame ourselves for your "complete silence" and your well calculated decision not to set foot in Manipur at times like this. It is, perhaps, a good call and dictated by natural instinct  at self preservation and avoiding trouble torn places. Can't blame you, this should be the guiding principle for everyone including the PM. You just got it right, we will still be thronging your election campaigns and rally once the right time comes around so it really doesn't matter whether you visit us now when we need you the most or NOT. By 2024 General Elections and the 2027 State Elections, the Lotus would have bloomed and all would have been forgotten for we are simple folks and gullible and you have understood that thing about us in a few visits for election campaigns in the last few years.

The last time I checked before  your CM N Biren Singh cut off internet in Manipur, our state was still an integral part of this nation. Regretfully, I have to admit we have been growing in ignorance and completely unaware of what's going on around the world and in our own life in the last 39 days due the total blackout of information flow and news. The reason for our plight may not be too difficult to figure out. I hope China has not yet declared the whole of NE as an integral part of the Ming or Han Empire. Probably I can breathe a sigh of relief once I can come online and fact check it myself. Sir, we, Manipuris, (if such an identity still exists) have brought laurels to this nation in sports and in many other fields inspite of our insignificant population size vis-a-vis the other states of India. Your silence force me into a rude realisation that though I might be an Indian to my very core, my heart and soul beats for  Bharat Maata, I remain the yellowman yelled at as "chinky/ Chinese" as I was walking down Raisina hills of our Capital  many years ago. Maybe, all the talk of changes and mainstreaming of NE India were slogans to win our votes. Just to remind you, the first sports person whom you congratulated for winning the first medal in the last Olympics hails from my tiny state which is burning right now.  Thousands of our Freedom Fighters and currently active serving Jawans, looks Chinese, but 100% patriots by any measure, their contribution should count for something, just maybe a "tweet" from you.  You are  the only PM who has promise Acchey Din not only for India but for us too, and somehow we have come to believe that you and your party have started to turn your attention to NE India at last. What am I to do now?

You are a busybody and with all the wear and tear you suffered globetrotting for the future of India, how selfish of us to even think of wasting your valuable time to even hope that you will visit Manipur. We pray that you will be magnanimous to far-flung hill states bordering troubled Myanmar and for the love of God, situated very close to a country, we Indians don't dare to take on head-on but strategically built up ties to thwart the threat this country presents. I understand we are not to far from the Hunan Province of China.

Wake up , Dear PM

Why our Land, our problem and We matter?

1. Without us, and Moreh , Your "Act East" is just a pipe dream, it must have the social, economic and physical infrastructure to make it happen. And yes, you need peace in the region to make it work.

2. #manipurisburning has the negative spin-off of eroding India's standing in the world, you can kiss your dream of UNSC permanent seat goodbye!

3. The similar fault lines exists in many states in India and every Indian is a minority as soon as he steps out of his neighbourhood or minorities exists in every state and cities, if the State fails them like they did in Manipur, the very existence of India is under threat. Civil wars within states will become a norm rather than an exception.

4. The economic cost of conflicts are staggering, you can bet your 5 trillion economy will remain just plain talk. Developing physical infrastructure while ignoring  social, economic and political infrastructure and issues can only create more Manipur like situations and it's a fool's errand.

5. The real threat - the China factor become a real possibility with lawlessness in border states creating the right opportunity for China to fish in troubled waters.

Our IB and RAW should be well equipped to whisper in your busy ears the additional threats conflicts such as these pose to India. I am just a common citizen,  and then again what do I know. 

Is it too much to expect my PM to care?  Or do you care only for PM Cares?

It is not too late, once you returned from Washington DC, we will still be welcoming you, should you decide to come to your neglected tiny state landlocked across the chicken 's neck.

Alas, you have to come to two Manipur now - the Imphal Valley and the Hill Manipur, for most tribals cannot set foot in Imphal even to welcome the PM.

BTW, if you want to solve MANIPUR's problem, apply lessons learnt in COVID 19, there you have it - problem solved in 1 day.  #lockdown 

Yours Sincerely,

A Patriotic Indian, Jai Hind!