Thank God, we voted and elected Professor Bimol Akoijam. That was the common refrain from most Manipuris as they listened in rapt attention to Professor Bimol’s fiery speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday a few minutes before the stroke of midnight. The attendance at the Lower House was thin at that point of time and he was the last speaker. Yet he roared like a lion and woke up the nation. Calling it an irony that he was given his chance to speak for the first time close to midnight, Bimol Akoijam said, “I can see the priority to the state and its people.”
Lest we forget, the word ‘Manipur’ was completely ignored in the President’s speech a few days earlier and Bimol was participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech. Reminding the House more than once about the plight of 60,000 displaced people in his state, Bimol Akoijam said the absence of Manipur in the President’s speech was a reminder of a sense of nationality that excludes people. The Indian state is a mute spectator to the violence and civil war like situation in Manipur, he said. “And yet our Prime Minister is mute, not even a word.
The Presidential address doesn’t even mention it. I say that the silence is not normal.” He equated the silence of the Modi government to the colonial era, and asked the House, “does it mean that people of the Northeast and Manipur in particular don’t matter?” Concluding his speech he said, “I would keep quiet the moment the Prime Minister open his mouth and the Nationalist party says that Manipur is part of India and we care for the people of that state. Only then I will accept what is nationalism in our face.” It was just before the stroke of midnight.
Well, it was at the stroke of midnight August 15, 1947 that the Dominion of India got independence from the British same as Manipur. Only difference is that, the people of Manipur still celebrate Independence Day on August 14 as we go by the lunar calendar and there is a choice in determining the day and Thaban. And Professfor Bimol questioning the issue of Indian nationality seems to bring forth an ominous challenge to Narendra Modi and BJP’s concept of nationalism. Yet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not care and he continue to ignore Manipur in his reply to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's speech.
Modi may not care, but his attitude and BJP’s stand on Manipur stands exposed. His minions here in Manipur and the Northeast may cry hoarse that it was Modi ji who brought the Northeast to the Indian mainstream and development to the region. But be warned, unlike the past MPs who represented Manipur Professor Bimol would not remain silent.
After Bimol’s speech, some BJP elements including high profile personalities in the ruling camp tried to belittle the professor’s speech as lacking in basic issues of the conflict like narco-terrorism and illegal infiltration, as often pushed by the circumcised state unit leaders here and even trying to deflect people’s attention towards the speech of a BJP MP from faraway Telengana who raised Manipur. It was so lame but characteristic of people who are Andhvaktas of Modi and BJP.
During the election campaign, BJP tried to impress upon the people that we need a good lobbyist who knows his way around in the corridors of power as against a good orator and debater who has conceptual clarity and could articulate the problems of the state in the Indian parliament, and not someone who would sit out the term in silence. Manipur had seen quite a interesting lot of MPs. Many of them had sat out the term as they all had a basic concept of numerical inferiority and thought what could they do in the vast sea of MPs.
Yet, Professor Bimol managed to break that jinx and bring India to attention with his powerful delivery. And it is not just about his eloquence in English speaking, but the way he managed to present his views and chose to represent the voice of Manipur. It is the content and delivery which matters, not the language. At last, Manipur has arrived in the Indian parliament.
