Manipur once more enjoys the luxury of uncertainty as Naga outfits have declared a blockade on main highways right before the Prime Minister visits the state next week. The action has sent shivers down the spines of locals who are apprehensive about shortages of basic commodities as well as more upsets in the already turbulent state. The blockade, led by various Naga civil society groups, is based on the root demands for enhanced recognition of their rights and self-governance. Their leaders claim that the government has failed to honor commitments made in previous negotiating sessions, and this compellingly forces the community to take recourse to such protests. For the average citizen in Manipur, however, the blockade translates into immediate suffering. Roads are the lifeline of the landlocked state that transport everything from gasoline to basic necessities. Already, people in Imphal and neighboring towns have experienced panic buying, with fuel pumps having long lines. Traders fear that supply chains will collapse if the blockade is not lifted. How the agitation is coordinating itself with the timing has also raised eyebrows. Anticipating the Prime Minister’s visit for high-level talks and public rallies, the blockade has been viewed by many as a means to bring the Naga cause to the national fore. Political analysts point out that such incidents have a natural tendency to raise their head in the backdrop of big-ticket visits because they bring to the forefront issues that otherwise are relegated to the backburner.
The government, however, is progressing slowly as well. More security has been sent to National Highways 2 and 37, Manipur’s two lifelines to the rest of the world. State authorities have appealed to the protesting groups to lift the blockade, observing that dialogue was the only viable option in front of them.For Manipur’s people, it is a simple desire — that political slogans and bargaining should not have to be paid for in the coin of their everyday existence. As one retailer in Imphal summed it up, “We respect their demands, but when the roads close, our kitchens go empty.” And just as the Prime Minister’s visit is now imminent, all eyes shift to the extent of whether the government and Naga groups are able to reach an understanding before the blockade turns into another protracted crisis.
