Manik Sarkar Meets Distressed Tripura Tribals To 'Revive' Left Connect? Himanta's Late Manipur Visit Raises Questions

While Manik Sarkar's meeting with distressed Tripura tribals hints at the Left's efforts at reviving the lost connect ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Himanta Biswa Sarma's late visit to Manipur has raised questions.

Source : PTI

In a move that has now assumed political significance, especially ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls and the defeat in the last assembly elections, veteran communist leader and former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar met distressed tribals on his two-day visit to the remote tribal areas of the Dhalai district this week. Assisted by a three-member party delegation consisting of the party's state secretariat members Radhacharan Debbarma, Ratan Bhowmik, and Sudhan Das, he visited different tribal villages located in sub-divisions of the Ambassa and Longtharai-valley and met locals who informed him about their problems of extreme distress.

A glance through the local media reports would tell anyone that the hills of the state — coming under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council currently ruled by Pradyot Debbarma’s TIPRA Motha — have been going through a severe crisis. The state government led by the BJP has been avoiding the Village Council polls pending since March 2021. As a result, the democratic system in the hills has broken down. There is a scarcity of drinking water, food, and work. Dilapidated roads aren’t fixed on time. Electricity isn’t available in some places reportedly for months and in some for years. Local tribals complained of a lack of proper functioning of the rationing system to Manik Sarkar and alleged a significant reduction in the MGNREGA man-days.

Politically, this visit by Manik Sarkar to the remote tribal areas assumes significance. In the assembly elections this year, despite the BJP facing anti-incumbency, CPM failed to come to power and one of the reasons was its poor performance in the tribal areas. Another reason was the soft strategy it adopted towards TIPRA Motha. But after reviewing the election results, the party has decided to counter both BJP and Motha. Not only this, there have been allegations against top party leaders, particularly Manik Sarkar, for maintaining a distance from common people. This visit — which comes at a time when Motha’s activities have also been reduced in the hills — by Sarkar along with senior party leaders in the remote areas of the tribal belt is an indication that the party is eager to learn from its past mistakes and is preparing itself for the Lok Sabha elections next year.

After A Month Of Ethnic Violence In Manipur, NEDA Convenor Himanta Comes Into Play

It has been more than a month since the ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities — claiming at least 98 lives — disrupted peace in the northeastern state of Manipur. Last week the union minister Amit Shah visited the state and took stock of the situation. He met with community representatives during his visit of over three days to the strife-torn state. Importantly, one prominent leader missing during this crisis was BJP strongman and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance — a conglomeration of non-Congress parties of the region led by the saffron party.

Himanta has been an important man for BJP in the region whenever the party had to form any alliance with any formidable party or form a government or take part in any government by bringing together regional parties whether in Tripura, Manipur, or Meghalaya. That’s the reason, his absence during the Manipur crisis raised questions. Finally, he seemed to be in action, although very late. He would be visiting the state today where he is likely to meet with the state chief minister Biren Singh, whose image has been badly hurt by the horrific violence. Importantly, his visit comes after Amit Shah’s crucial visit. But his very late action in Manipur also indicates his limitations in the region outside Assam.

Congress Questions PM Modi's Silence On Manipur Violence

This week former union minister and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the horrific ethnic violence in Manipur even after a month. He also asked why the Prime Minister did not encourage an all-party-delegation visit to the strife-torn northeastern state.

This is not the first time that Congress has attacked the Prime Minister over the Manipur developments. Recently, a high-level Congress delegation led by party national president Mallikarjun Kharge met with President Droupadi Murmu and sought her intervention to seek normalcy in the violence-hit northeastern state. The delegation had also demanded a 'high-level inquiry commission' led by a serving or a retired Supreme Court judge.

After Amit Shah’s visit to the state, the Centre had already formed a three-member inquiry commission headed by the former chief justice of Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba last week. However, what is concerning is the silence of the prime minister, that too even after a month of ethnic violence, which took at least 98 lives and resulted in the displacement of over 35,000 people. Even after one month, there are no signs of normalcy returning to the state.

Let’s not forget how the people of the state — both Meiteis and Kukis — had welcomed Amit Shah. People of the state were desperately looking forward to the Centre and at such a crucial time, an appealing statement for peace, if not a visit from prime minister Modi, who undoubtedly is also popular in the state, could have a positive impact. But his silence, at a time when the saffron party is busy celebrating nine years of Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, weakens his claims that the northeast remains the priority of his government.

The author is a political commentator. 

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