People’s Campaign for Resurgent Manipur Observes Third Anniversary

The third anniversary of the People’s Campaign for Resurgent Manipur (PCRM) was observed on 18th Oct 2014. It may be recalled that the Campaign, then known as People’s Campaign for Assembly Election 2012’, was launched by concerned citizens of and from the state of Manipur in different parts of the world with a vow to bring about a positive change in the state of affairs in Manipur, starting with an effort to change the political culture and efforts to bring about an issue based electoral politics in the state. The campaign, which was later on renamed in its first anniversary as ‘People’s Campaign for Resurgent Manipur’, was simultaneously launched in different parts of the country, amongst others, in Imphal, New Delhi, Chandigarh, and Chennai on 18th October, 2011 by resolving to work for a new Manipur.

To shape a new political culture and bring about issue based electoral politics in the state, the Campaign marks 15 years as its timeline. Beginning with the Assembly Election of 2012, the Campaign seeks to intervene through public meetings, media and posters. In today’s observation, it has also endorsed the aims and objectives of the Campaign as well as those resolutions taken during the second anniversary and to further strengthen its network and monitoring of the events and developments in the state and offices, especially the elected representatives.

Keeping its twin objectives of shaping informed discourses on critical issues that confront Manipur and make the democratic process legitimate and vibrant, the decisions to upgrade and strengthen the website of the Campaign was also taken. It was also resolved that the Campaign would carry out its activities in a larger scale in the run up to the next Assembly Election than what was done at the time of 2012 Assembly Elections.

The third anniversary observation today was also marked by a Round Table on ‘Youth for a Resurgent Manipur’. Attended by old and new members of the Campaign, students and professionals based in Delhi, the deliberation was moderated by Dr. G. Amarjit Sharma and Dr. Kh. Bijoykumar, faculty members of JNU and three speakers representing the student community, Sunil Gangmei, Azad Babu and Usham Rojio, initiated the discussion. The speakers put forward the issues of unemployment, deteriorating education system, ethnocentric conception of Manipur and consumerist, self-centered and individualist ethos amongst youths as some of the key concerns. Taking part in the deliberations, other members also expressed concern over the shrinking of arable land and tendency to seek private solution, one member citing the culture of private tuition as an example of that tendency. Moderators of the deliberation, Dr. G. Amarjit Sharma raises the issue of what and who constitutes public voice while Dr. Kh. Bijoykumar talks about the movement of youths from rural to urban areas in search of government job by leaving aside the agrarian sector as issues that we must reflect.

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