(It is worth mentioning that Manipur witnessed 628 bandhs and blockades during the last 15 years, from 1995 till June of the current year 2010, causing huge loss to the tune of Rs 2828 crore in the state exchequer, said Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh in the House of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.)
On Dr Manmohan Singh, former US President Barack Obama said the former Indian Prime Minister had "a kind of impassive integrity", as per a report in 'The New York Times'.
In his memoir 'A Promised Land', the former US President - who visited India twice during his stint in high office - summed up Rahul Gandhi's approach to politics and life well and noted, "deep down (Rahul) lacked either the aptitude or the passion to master the subject.”
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"From Southeast Asia to a forgotten school in South Carolina, he (Obama) evokes the sense of place with a light but sure hand," the reviewer notes.
The article further says - "Obama's focus is more political than personal, but when he does write about his family it is with a beauty close to nostalgia. Wriggling Malia into her first ballet tights. Baby Sasha’s laugh as he nibbles her feet. Michelle’s breath slowing as she falls asleep against his shoulder. His mother sucking ice cubes, her glands destroyed by cancer. The narrative is rooted in a storytelling tradition".
The reviewer in NYT says - "Vladimir Putin reminds him (Obama) of the tough, street-smart ward bosses who used to run the Chicago machine". Obama also notes, physically, Putin was "unremarkable".
The article also notes: "If Kennedy’s words suggest a sense of destiny, it isn’t clear how much Obama himself wants it. He is a conflicted and sometimes reluctant participant in politics, a man who feels increasingly lonely as the size of his crowds swells...".
MMS represented Assam as MP but that did not help northeast much !!
Analogy of Sunset : The architect of Boom was a lawmaker from India's much neglected northeast; but the region could not reap any tangible success/benefit from his stint both as the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister for 10 long years.
As Prime Minister, he never visited neighbouring state of Nagaland notwithstanding the fact that the Naga peace talks were negotiated at his level. The Naga peace parleys had begun way back in 1997 when I K Gujral was the Prime Minister and it was carried forward by the Vajpayee government.
Significantly, 'onetime potent' Naga rebel leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah arrived India 'officially' for the first time during Vajpayee's regime. But the talks did not make much forward movement during Manmohan Singh's stint.
Analysts generally believed, he did not have the temperament to try to understand the complexities of issues involved with regard Nagaland and other Naga areas and also with regard ULFA in Assam.
However, due credit ought to be given to his government (UPA-2) when several top ULFA leaders were held with the help of friendly regime headed by Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh. It may be noted that ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa was arrested during UPA-2 when P Chidambaram was the Home Minister.
There were several problems in the region including in Manipur but neither the then PM nor his government gave much importance to the issues.
On Dec 2, 2011, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said frequent strikes and economic blockades in Manipur would only impede development and bring untold miseries to the commoners.
"We are aware that the recent road blockades by some groups caused immense hardships to the common people of Manipur. The blockades were painful for the people of the state and harmful to its economy," Dr Singh had said addressing a public rally in Imphal.
In 2023 when the BJP came under attack for the violence, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (a former Congressman from Assam) came down heavily at the Congress for criticising the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for its policy towards Manipur.
Sarma alleged that under Congress Manipur had become the blockade capital of the country when the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh was in power.
In a series of tweets, Sarma has said, “The Congress’s duplicity is simply alarming.”
He questioned the Congress for the display of “sudden and immense interest” in Manipur.
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC says, "The question raised by Congress is sheer controversy-driven. Let them be reminded that they never built a memorial for former PM Narasimha Rao who was a leader of their party... Why build a controversy out of nothing?... The Congress party should move beyond unnecessary politics and media limelight."
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