HomeNews N ViewsIROM’s 90 Votes: Is it Game Up?
IROM’s 90 Votes: Is it Game Up?
Another dubious fasting activist made a circus in Jantar Mantar and the circus produced quite a few characters of equally dubious kind. It is a mirage that some fasting activists do not go till the end while a few people have even died for lack of food and a few people have fasted and died for political purposes. One among the recent ones being Nigamanand Saraswati. It does not mean that Iron Sharmila should have died but she should have used her common sense of what little she had.
Firstly I pray my favourite god Anjayena that she is blessed with a long and healthy life with full of happiness and peace. But her tactics and her antics make one feel that she is more of a drama queen than she appears to be. It also makes one wonder why she was force fed while many others were not offered anything for their survival.
This brings to the most important question – Why some lives in India matter more than others? Our judiciary is one of the biggest discriminatory agency which presumes to protect the constitution but closes its eyes when serious sectarian laws are passed. Also the judiciary closes its eyes in certain issues but opens quite wide for some other issues. But the current CJI seem to be wide eyed and seem to be having a great attention to detail.
Leaving the judiciary aside and shifting our focus back to the life and intelligence of the hunger activist. Our media is another discriminating agency that gives zero importance to issues that form the core of Indian civilization. Media does things what brings revenue and hence they too cannot be blamed but question that needs to be asked is about the achievements of Irom Sharmila and what she brought to the people of Manipur.
Had Irom Sharmila worked to tell the people of Manipur that they should not support the armed terrorists operating then she would have definitely got more than 90 votes at least after 16 years from the day she started fasting.
Irom sharmila never talked about the atrocities of the insurgents and why army was needed for such a long time. Her one side questioning and demonizing has also ensured that her intentions are doubted by people at large. Else she would have got more than 90 votes.
Irom Sharmila broke her promise and took support of a biggest actor of politics and this would have rung alarm bells in the minds of the people of Manipur. If only she had taken support of any of the other better parties, she would have definitely got more than 90 votes.
Since Manipur has been voting in high percentages, it is clear that the people of Manipur feel they are part of India and the problem seem to be lack of opportunities for increased prosperity. But Irom sharmila never seemed to be interested in her agenda and her focus of anti-AFSPA is ensured that she gets only 90 votes.
If Irom Sharmila thought that she was the sole voice of Manipur, then she should have been able to solve the recent blockade. But she seems to be interested in only fasting and this process has been giving diminishing returns over the long periods in Indian politics. People want their problems solved and not perennial and non results producing fasts else Irom sharmila would get more than 90 votes.
The most important thing about Iron Sharmila that she was not able to bring in confidence and merely getting attention of International rights organizations never solves any kind of problem. No rights agencies have solved any problem but seem to be creating more problems to keep their coffers full. In lesser time a BJP activist worked selflessly for a longer time became a CM in 2001 and ended up becoming PM in 2014.
Irom Sharmila’s intentions might be good, but the path she chose has been wrong and people do not get impressed by antics and dramas any more. Nobody can claim to be voice under the grab of getting international attention. It is the same case with the several of the international sepoy working in India with India’s interests at the bottom of their priorities.
The only thing I would tell Irom Sharmila that people do not feel fasting as a way of getting things done as India never got anything done by fasting. Nigamanand Saraswati too died but could create only a little flutter in the minds of fellow Indians. Irom Sharmila come out of the victimhood psychology and try to put some works that could convince Manipuris that only peace is the solution to their problems.
Growth would follow peace and not fasting because most of Indians are already fasting based on the dubious surveys conducted by rights and other activists who might have a play in doling awards. Working with the government is the only solution or spreading the truth is the other way out of most troubles. While Gandhi achieved the later with his fasts, yours seem to have achieved near zero and 90 votes.
Gender, Place of birth, Wealth Status, Caster, Creed or any other identity could not trump the identity of being part of Bharat. So next time I hope to see you in real politics or being a activist and being among people and if you feel you are not a good communicator, then it is time to move on. 16 years is too long a period in any person’s life and I hope she introspects and work for the betterment of the people of Manipur and India.