Ajay Bhalla's Appointment As Manipur Governor Is Only Half The Job Done. Centre Now Has An Uphill Task | OPINION

Ajay Bhalla has been appointed Manipur governor

Source : PTI

In the recently held 72nd plenary session of the Northeastern Council (NEC) in Agartala, the chairman of the council and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claimed that bringing peace in the Northeast is the biggest achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years. Amit Shah wasn’t completely wrong, given the fact that the Centre under Modi has tried to bridge the gap between New Delhi and the oft-neglected Northeast.

It is, however, the strife-torn Manipur that has remained a thorn in this achievement list of the Modi government. The state is waiting for normalcy even after 19 months of ethnic clashes between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zo people.

This week President of India Droupadi Murmu, on the recommendations of the Centre, appointed Ajay Kumar Bhalla as the Governor of the northeastern state. This appointment after the NEC session is significant.

Ajay Bhalla, Trusted Aide Of Amit Shah

Ajay Bhalla will replace Laxman Prasad Acharya as the Governor of the state. Laxman was handling the additional charge of the state along with that of Assam. He had replaced Ansuiya Uikey, who was the Governor of Manipur when the ethnic violence broke out.

As the governor, she did her best to reach out to the rival communities in order to bring down the hatred between them. This year, she was removed from her post in a surprise move after only 17 months. 

The newly appointed governor, Ajay Bhalla, who recently retired as the Secretary in the Union Home Ministry, is known as a trusted aide of Amit Shah. He also accompanied Shah to the strife-torn state last year. So, he isn’t a stranger to the conflict.

Ajay Bhalla's appointment is being interpreted as an indication of a fresh initiative by the Centre. However, it remains to be seen what changes he brings to the administration now.

One thing, however, that is clear is that this appointment indicates that Amit Shah is keen to bring a solution to the strife-torn state. For this, he wants to rely on his trusted aides. After all, the responsibility to bring peace to the state lies with Amit Shah. 

The state security advisor, Kuldiep Singh, is also close to Shah and Prime Minister Modi. He is in charge of the post of the Unified Command, which oversees security operations in the state and is responsible for proper coordination among central and state forces.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh is reportedly unhappy with this arrangement. If reports are to be believed, this September, Biren Singh submitted a memorandum to then Governor Laxman Prasad. One of the key demands was to grant the control of the Unified Command. 

Now, with his aide in the Raj Bhavan, Amit Shah has sent a clear message to the state that it is the Centre that is going to take the crucial decisions to bring peace to the state. This appointment can also be seen as a rejection of Biren Singh’s demand to give him the control of the Unified Command from the Centre-appointed Kuldiep Singh. 

While the Centre, has been protecting Biren Singh so far by not removing him from the post of the Chief Minister, it seems that the Centre also doesn't want to fully depend on him to bring normalcy to the state. Most probably this is because the Kuki-Zo people are against him. 

That's why it has given the Unified Command to Kuldiep Singh. And now it has appointed Ajay Bhalla as the Governor of Manipur in order to ensure that the charge remains under the Centre.

Centre Has An Uphill Task In Manipur

While the appointment of a new Governor, who already is no stranger to the state’s conflict, is a welcome step, the Centre now needs to engage in effective political dialogues. The Centre should know that mere administrative changes aren't enough to restore normalcy. 

The new Governor needs to open new channels of dialogue to encourage dialogue between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo people and involve all stakeholders of the state. This can only happen if the Centre stands strongly behind and pushes the governor to encourage new initiatives to at least narrow the gap between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zomi people. This isn't an easy task as the governor, who is the Centre’s representative, needs to perform a balancing act to satisfy both communities, amid a polarised environment. 

The author is a political commentator.

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