Class boycott will do more harm to the state

It’s been more than two months since the Apunba Lup along with AMSU, MSF and KSA started the class boycott as protest against the July 23rd fake encounter at BT Road this year. At a time when students are supposed to be gearing up for their Xth and XIIth board examinations, schools are shut. Coaching centers are closed. Students are facing a hard time in their studieswhile their counterparts are busy covering the syllabus for better rankings. But our govt has been giving a deaf ear and blind eye to the situation. Why?

Why is the state govt silent on the issue? Why is our dear CM just sitting and watching the show? What is our education minister doing till now? It is unfortunate to see such leaders who have no concern for the thousands of students. What is worst is that the state govt is not even trying to break the deadlock. Mr CM is least concerned about it and why would he be worried whether schools are shut or classes are going on or not. His kids are not the one who is missing the classes.

No wonder why the central govt is doing nothing about it. Are they waiting for the students to lose one academic year? Or are they waiting for a chance to collect more votes?

I certainly understand the reason for calling the class boycott and fully support the cause but I don't find suspending classes to be productive or strong enough to bring the desired changes in the system. Students, who should be preparing for the future is rather involved in the political affairs of the state. It's good to understand the happenings and how the system is working but students going out of classes to bring change in political system are certainly not the right thing to do. It is education that will help us in bringing the changes; barring ourselves from being educated is just like shutting the doors for enlightenment.

Reacting to the appeal of all those who suggested to call off the ongoing class boycott and adopt some other form of agitation, the student bodies have categorically asserted that we people should understand that it is also for us that the ongoing public movement is being launched and so we should start launching the alternative agitation being suggested at once. The student bodies demanded to know which one we think is more important: right to life or right to education and questioned the guarantee of right to life.

Fine! the student bodies have very well put up their questions and I don’t guarantee anything else except my support in whatever movement they undertake but nothing at the cost of education. It would not be wise to keep ourselves shut in the dark especially, when we need brighter people to bring forward our issues in front of the world.

On the other side, Apunba Lup alleged that in Manipur, it is democracy in words and dictatorship in action. What is happening in Manipur is quite contradictory to many provisions of the Constitution of India like 'equality before law', 'protection of life and personal liberty' etc. In the name of tackling insurgency, several inappropriate black laws are being enforced in the region and under such draconian laws, people are being continuously targeted.

I fully agree to that but would not it be draconian if students are barred from attending classes? Would not it be dictatorship if the Lup shuts schools? Would not it be against the provisions of the Constitution of India?

So how different are the Aunba Lup and student bodies' tactics from the govt’s nasty politics? What kind of democracy are they preaching by boycotting classes? What provision of the Constitution are they talking about when they have not respected any? What rights are they talking about when they have not spared the kids the right to education? How different are they from their own elected state representative O Ibobi Singh?

I don't appreciate the student unions and federations who are supporting class boycott. I don't appreciate any organizations or lup that back up in shutting down schools. I don't appreciate the leaders of the state who are watching it as if nothing happened just because their sons and daughters are not studying in Manipur. I don't appreciate any shameful acts that hamper the growth of upcoming generation.

The student bodies and Apunba Lup should find better means to fight against the state sponsored terrorism. If the boycott is not lifted then Apunba Lup or the student bodies will be no less than any terror outfits.

No wonder, our so called freedom fighters who are always a step ahead in collecting taxes from the people are also sitting tight watching the showdown at the heart of Kangleipak. It's sick to see them going hand in hand with the state leaders so blindly.