Ibobi's olive branch to media after poll debacle

GUWAHATI/IMPHAL: Okram Ibobi Singh seems to have finally realized that the pen is mightier than guns. But for this, the Manipur chief minister had to pay quite a heavy price a humiliating defeat of Congress's S Ranjan in the hands of K Sarat of Trinamool in the bypoll to the Konthoujam constituency.

All local dailies had boycotted news related to the Ibobi Singh-led Congress government in protest against the arrest of All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) vice-president A Mobi for his alleged links with militants in December last year. Though Mobi was later released on bail, the media fraternity had termed the charges framed by police as "fabricated" and asked the government to withdraw of all cases registered against him. The government had refused to bow down to the journalists' pressure and thought they could withstand the scribes' agitation.

However, the boycott ultimately proved too costly for Congress as it affected the party's campaign for the bypoll. As the Congress's "achievements" did not find a place in the newspapers, the opposition virtually had a free run during the campaign.

The ruling party used all its power with the chief minister even making either a minister or a Congress MLA in charge of each and every polling booth in Konthoujam. But, it did not click and the Trinamool Congress managed to create a history.

As soon as the result of the Konthoujam bypolls was declared, Ibobi offered the olive branch to the media fraternity in Imphal. He assured the journalists that his government would withdraw all cases registered against Mobi, who happens to be an editor of a local vernacular daily.

The media fraternity was also prompt to reciprocate to the CM's assurance and they decided to suspend its boycott against MLAs and ministers of Congress and CPI the two partners in the SPF government and the police department. The union's decision followed an emergency meeting of its members convened at its Imphal office in the evening.

Sources said the state Congress leadership had realized during the campaign that antagonizing the media persons, who were already sandwiched between the government and militants, was a wrong step. That is the reason why the ruling party first send feelers to the journalists for a negotiation on the eve of counting (Wednesday) after realizing that it would lose the bypoll to Konthoujam.