As I hear about the chief minister of Manipur finally resigning, a sad picture comes to my mind, of a thin fellow leading a woman who is scantily clad, along the road somewhere in Manipur.

We hear that he finally raped and killed her.

A skinny fellow as thin as a toothpick!

Now look behind Toothpick, you’ll see four others, bigger built, more muscular, Tarzan types. They stand leering while Toothpick leads the poor girl on and assaults her.

Here’s what I want you to do. Take an eraser, slowly cut them off, erase them, remove them from the scene.

Now watch as in your imagination, Toothpick looks back, notices the four aren’t there anymore. Toothpick’s expression changes, uncertainty replaces confidence, fear takes over courage, suddenly he’s aware of his own skinny arms, and Toothpick leaves the girl and runs!

Toothpick’s strength, brazenness, bullying nature, came from the knowledge that those four toughies stood behind him! And the sneer of those four, their intimidating tactics, their ruffian roughness came from the next ring behind, of the likes of higher ups who continued to rule the state and refused to do much for the people, even though the whole country wanted the violence to stop.

But from the chief minister to the top, they stood behind Toothpick!

Quite a daunting group, huh?

Yes dear reader, but in real life unfortunately, you cannot use an eraser or a  pair of scissors, to remove the real villains.

If only it were as simple as clipping away the shadows of power, the hidden forces that make a mockery of leadership. Imagine if we could erase all the thick-built bureaucrats, the power-hungry officers, the invisible hands pulling strings from behind the scenes. Would the Toothpicks of this world lose their spine, crumble under their own fragility, and finally stop terrorizing the innocent?

The sad truth is our eraser remains ineffective. These shadows are not just figments of our imagination; they are real, pervasive, and deeply entrenched. They lurk in the corners of every system, taking root in the soil of corruption. You cannot erase them with a swipe, no matter how hard you try. The chief minister’s resignation, though a temporary relief, is only the tip of the iceberg.

The real battle is deeper, more systemic, and can’t be undone by simple political resignation.

Until they are eradicated from the roots, Manipur, and every state like it, will continue to stagger under the weight of polarisation and division.

No, dear reader, you cannot use a pair of scissors to erase this reality that stares us in the face. But you can sharpen your awareness, speak your truth, and demand accountability from those who are behind these scenes.

Use the court, or use the vote, and see the Toothpicks flee..!

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