When Jamir said, "I made two mistakes";.... there was pin drop silence

New Delhi

As one ponders about issues and some pages from the unwritten past to be penned down for the next piece for 'Nagaland Page', one is overwhelmed by the thought that the write ups are well read these days.

For the piece on 'disqualified' Neiphiu Rio making it to the K L Chishi cabinet in 1990, I got a pat on the back on a whatsapp message inbox from none other the then Chief Minister himself.

grand old man: Jamir: Many stories

He must have pleasantly surprised to read the article of June 21 -'Luck matters, Rio's first entry into cabinet was as a disqualified legislator'.

Here is the link for those of you might need a ready reference.

(https://nagalandpage.com/luck-matters-rios-first-entry-into-cabinet-was-as-a-disqualified-legislator)

Chishi's message would massage anyone's ego: "Thank you Nirendra for the write up on my government in 1990. It was lucid reminiscent".

My editor Monalisa Changkija termed the compliment from Chishi as "great". What she meant was - carry on with your job more sincerely.

Nevertheless all these make one feel humble but more responsible. The phrase 'lucid reminiscent' could come from a master of words like Chishi only.

But thinking of democracy and what goes on in the assemblies and parliament, one had a stray thinking about what really goes on in the name of elections.

In simple sense, one could say - "The will of people manifests itself through regular and time-bound elections', courtesy 'The Statesman' festival special magazine of 2008.

But we also know Indian elections have many vices and saboteurs to destroy its real essence. The caste frenzy, the communal bomb, the gun culture and uses and abuses of money power.

S C Jamir as a veteran Naga politician has gone through different stages of politics. 

Around 1994-95, once he said on the floor of the assembly, "Mr Speaker Sir, in Naga politics, I think, I made only two mistakes...".
 

As he uttered these words everybody including those in the press gallery were
more than attentive. Maybe there was a breaking news on cards,
something sensational from one of the
most surviving politicians and also a signatory to the 16 Point Agreement.
But Jamir surprised everyone when he said something on a more grounded subject,
"One mistake was I made Vamuzo the Chief Minister and later in 1993, I
made K L Chishi the Finance Minister".
Needless to add, both were present in the House and both were furious.
On different occasions both the leaders reacted. Chishi said Jamir
thought everyone else
around him is a 'pawn'. Vamuzo was usual flamboyant - "You are a
habitual liar" - he told
Jamir straight.
Politics is never static. Ponder a little bit the other side for a few
years and things
change pretty fast. Nagaland state politics has undergone huge changes
over the years.
If the 1960s and 1970s offered one flavour, by the 1990s, politicians
started talking in different languages. By the 2013-2018 era, it has
changed all the more.

Luck is always a vital element in life, but it is more so in politics.

In 1995, as the Chief Minister, S C Jamir discovered a shy tourist officer

named P Wangyu Konyak. Had not NPC MLA from Tehok in Mon district T P

Manlem expired and

had Jamir not decided that the then pradesh Congress chief Chingwang Konyak

should not enter the assembly, Wangyu's political career would not

have started off.

He also became the Deputy Speaker and later made it to the Lok Sabha

as an NPF member of parliament. He did exercise his voting right in

the historic trial of strength in July

2008 when the Left parties withdrew support to the Manmohan Singh government.

One likes it or not, Jamir really had Midas touch approach and made bright

careers of a host of leaders spread in different parts of the state.

He had played 'Godfather' to the

likes of Kewekhape Therie and Neiba Ndang - who became first time MLA

in 1993 and straight walked to occupy the chair of Speaker.

Student politics and NSF grounding also created leaders. Shikiho Sema and R

Paphino (from Southern Angami region) were former NSF presidents. In

fact. Paphino's tenure as NSF chief was exciting as it had forced the

Vamuzo government to reduce the service age of state government

employees to 57 years of age or 33 years of service whichever is

earlier.

Interestingly during the tenure of V P Singh, the then Union Home

Minister Mufti Mohammed Syed (only Muslim Home Minister of India) had

called NSF a "parochial" body.

Predictably, the influential students' body was furious.

A former NSF president, Shikiho Sema was then Congress Lok Sabha MP

and veteran Vizol was

NPC member in Rajya Sabha.

Paphino had demanded unconditional apology from both and urged them to take up

the matter befittingly with the centre.

 As one thinks of these old anecdotes of Nagaland politics, let me

share a 'secret'. A few BJP leaders

and some MLAs (both NPF and NDPP) confessed that they did not know the

'disqualified' status of Chief Minister Rio in 1990.

What different that would make to their politics remains a puzzle.

As a stray thought, some friends are now suggesting me to pen a small

Quiz Book on Naga politics

where questions could be based on these anecdotes !

The idea looks promising, but meantime, promise me to read 'Nagaland

Page' regularly.

Wrap up:

The book is a 'book' and even a so-called Quiz book will be the one.

Book is also perhaps

at the last stages of its existence. New generation has not shown any

tendency to liking books.

But as an aging old school of journalism guy - one recalls a quote

from John Milton - "... who kills a man, kills a reasonable creature;

but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself; kills the image

of God as it were".

ends