Nagas Caught Between Wrong Priorities and Their Endless Impact

M Chuba AO

Elections are vital to democracy. I am not stating a rocket science. Often, we experience that the individual ambitions obstruct a popular mandate.

In the context of repeated sabotage of Rajya Sabha proceedings some years back, Late Arun Jaitley had said – “Less and less businesses are controlled by families due to start-ups, but more political parties are family controlled. Families that control political parties believe that they have a divine right to be in power.”

This is the essence of debate of the mandate of 2024. Well, in some states the opposition parties got more seats and in some, it was the BJP or our good old National Democratic Alliance (NDA). But the funny way of behaviour from opposition parties is both shocking and unwarranted. Some of the opposition parties, especially the Congress, are frustrated. So, they are looking for reasons and rhymes to find fault with the NDA government. Hope they stomach the rejection by Indian voters even as they have increased their strengths in some states. Well, elections are meant to be surprised and the mandate 2024 by itself is a test case to argue that the Indian democracy is alive, vibrant, and not vulnerable to be misused.

As New Delhi is reeling under heat and political debate around the elections; in far-off northeast Nagaland has entered the poll season for Urban Local Bodies. It is to ensure enhanced participation and representation of women in urban governing bodies like town committees and municipal bodies. But we are also in the midst of news items coming out that some people want to boycott the elections to the urban civic bodies.

This is happening in eastern Nagaland and the ENPO as an organisation is behind this ‘boycott/abstain’ doctrine. But I would also like to know who is benefiting. Electorally, the BJP and our regional partners including the NDPP have suffered a setback. Our joint candidate belonging to NDPP lost the Lok Sabha election to Congress candidate. Personally, I will always congratulate Supongmeren –also a youngman from our Mokokchung district.

In fact, my argument is that the NDPP nominee Chumben Murry could have easily won hands-down if people of the ENPO region would have voted in the elections. I am not doing a post-mortem. It does not help. But when I try to analyse in futuristic sense; in what way the people of ENPO region have benefited by ensuring Supongmeren’s win.

As a young energetic man, I am sure Supong will work hard and try to do well in the national polity. But he is from the Congress and thus he will be sitting in the opposition bench and because he is a first timer; he will be on the back benches. I am not belittling him. In fact, I admire Supong’s fighting spirit and the manner he stuck to the battle till the last moment. His success tale will be spoken and debated but it is also true a ruling party MP always has an advantage.

In that sense – Nagas would have benefited more if our MP in Lok Sabha sits in the ruling bench. Our BJP government is in power in New Delhi and things could have helped Nagas everywhere — in the entire state of Nagaland and in the eastern region. Hence, my argument is perhaps yet another mistake will be committed if they go ahead with their announced programme of boycott of ULB polls. Do we want to avoid – development of our towns, cities, and small urban hubs in eastern Nagaland and elsewhere in the state?

Even at the level of socio-political organisations; I often find that our Naga society is caught between wrong priorities, mismatched policies, and their endless impact.

Boycotting of polls is a self-defeating proposition.

(Author is BJP National Vice President. Views are personal).