Modi-Shah duo depending a lot on two IB sleuths
New Delhi
A K Mishra, the peace emissary in Naga peace talks, has a historical role to perform.Of course he will be aided by two in-service officials Mandeep Singh Tuli, IB Joint Director and A K Dhyani, Director North East Division.
Like Mishra, Tuli is also of IPS background and grooming and linked to India's elite intelligencewing - the IB.
Mishra is of Rajasthan cadre, 1987 batch and Tuli of Sikkim cadre and much younger to Mishraas he hails from 1999 batch. Dhyani of course is a civil official.
In media terminology, it is often said that the north east region is a home to many untold stories waiting to be told. In terms of the perspective of intelligence studies, north east India is still a puzzle and perhaps even a virgin land.
'Nagaland Page' Link
We know ivory tower expertise by the executive/bureaucracy - let us include both IAS and IPS fraternity and also political leadership - and also the media often offers many stereotypes and myths about the northeast region.
Well, this should be dispelled. Now whether intelligence agencies have added to the complexity of the region is anyone's guess. No region like the north east India and vibrant communities like Nagas in the world perhap shave been as conflict ridden as this part. There are diverse topography, cultures and of course socio-economic traits and socio-religious divisions.
For the media these could be simple Masala.
It goes without stating that for intelligence agencies and officials,these factors are very much serious challenges as they have also fuelled disturbances.
Thanks to New Delhi's ways of handling things, there is a perceived sense of alienation, faulty policies, scarce resources and of course 'interference' by neighbours - both small and large ones.
Former Nagaland Chief Secretary A M Gokhale had his reasons to say (in the late nineties) -- "New Delhi still thinks like Aurangzeb's Delhi". Here Aurangzeb symbolised an image of a ruthless and an unreasonable administrator.
 |
| A K Mishra |
Where does a department like the IB fit into all these? After central security forces if any department as a unit is seen with suspicion by Nagas are these intelligence wings.
Late J B Jasokie, former CM, understood certain complexities well. Once he told me, "I am sure very soon IB officials will tell you to inform them first before you come to interview us. They may even suggest questions".
Like any newcomer in the field, I would smile and get impressed at the sharpness of a veteran politician.
There is of course another version -- "Well, our job is thankless. When we save hundreds of incidents and terror attacks, no one thanks us. But when something wrong happens, the first usual screaming is - intelligence failure".
But some of their inputs matter. Late Shikiho Sema, a Congress leader, understood their importance well. In 1988-89, Vamuzo was apparently denied opportunity to form government after the Hokishe Sema government fell chiefly due to some adverse inputs from IB sleuths.
But now PM Narendra Modi and his trusted Home Minister Amit Shah have reposed faith in a retired IPS man, Mishra. Of course, his predecessor R N Ravi too was from IPS cadre and things did move under his stewardship definitely.
A senior Naga politician when asked remarked rather aptly, "History has provided an ample opportunity and a rareoccasion to A K Mishra to deliver. Along with peace parleys with NSCN-IM and NNPG, now he has to handle ENPO matters too. He should deliver and Nagas will remember him for long".
Mishra is known to his colleagues as a workaholic and a cool customer in terms of gathering intelligence. Both these qualities suit the Modi-Shah duo's scheme of things. At times, Mishra's gentleman type approach could be misread as a sign of basic weakness, but he has the firmness of a true cop.
Mishra was posted at Kohima when Thuingaleng Muivah was denied entry to Manipur in 2010 and was lodged at Viswema for about a month.
Till 2020, Tuli - a Sikh gentleman who also served in Imphal, was posted as Deputy Director (NE Desk).
There will be little to dispute that both Tuli and Mishra have been picked up personally by Shah for the important assignment.
The grapevine in Delhi is that Mishra has been able to do his best in Naga peace talks notwithstanding challenges.
Delivering the right information and perhaps more importantly the right analyses -- staying away from any media glare and major rows - on the conflicts has been a challenging task for these cops.
In the ultimate, the roles of these officials as the true 'servants' of the motherland, the Indian government and thus the Constitution must not be lost.
Skeptics could dub some of their actions anytime as 'nationalist prism/lens'. Some optimists nevertheless feel developmental and constitutional triumphism will work finally.
Just as a social worker concurs when he says - the structures privileging the 'greed' of a few at all levels and the so-called unjust systems would be defeated at the end of the day.
ends
No comments:
Post a Comment