Ideally, Nagaland should prepare for Congress Vs BJP contest :::::: How should Nagaland behave?

Historic Lok Sabha poll in 2024: How should Nagaland behave?  

New Delhi 

Opposition parties have got together and one pretext overt or covert has been the abuse of ED by the Modi government. But it is also true most opposition parties have skeletons in their closets.

This is how politics thrived all these decades. But the opposition "I.N.D.I.A" will do well to point out some of the 'skeletons' in the NDA and the BJP cupboards as well. In fact, a few could be 'fresh' in the refrigerator.

'Nagaland Page'

In the northeast most such closets will be well known to Congress guys as most if not all "BJP and NDA tycoons" in the region have earlier put on Congress party's 'all-white attire'.

The Congress leaders in northeast now including in states such as Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur, should do detailed home work and expose the BJP leaders and "their NDA friends". It is testing time and hence there is no substitute to hard work. 

But, we presume, this looks near impossible. Congress leaders either in Delhi or in states generally believe in a make-believe world that the onus is on the people to bring them back to power. Hence if you walk into most Congress Bhavans across the country, either you can meet 'very big leaders' or you may meet none! In BJP's offices --- barring NDPP-friendly units -- you will find karyakartas.   

A section of intellectuals and English media are always around to give the Congress and other 'secular' parties some false hopes. In 2019, 'media friends' obliged 24 Akbar Road and the Chowkidar slogan boomeranged.

Rahul Gandhi is already basking in a well calculated campaign that he has proposed the name for the 26-party coalition. In the excitement or otherwise, Congress says it is not interested in getting the PM post.

Changing UPA to "I.N.D.I.A" has possibly opened another Pandora's Box. A Congress leader  says, "Technically, there was nothing wrong in UPA". 

Rahul Gandhi's 'Eureka moment' in 2023-24 may also backfire. Himanta Biswa Sarma has changed his Twitter bio and calls him now 'Chief Minister of Assam, BHARAT' (replacing India). Nothing happens in the BJP in isolation.

In 2020 there was a plea in the Supreme Court that claimed that the name of the country be changed to Bharat or Hindustan. The bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde in its order said that the petition could be considered by the "appropriate ministries". It did not reject.

So, there is a legal background to make use of. 

Mr Modi is not only a shrewd political operator; he is a people's leader. Even if he talks something jocularly there will be a research and pre-assessment of the public mood. We were witness to his remarks on Muslims' large families -- "Hum panch Hamare pachees" one-liner in 2002. Modi had ridiculed law allowing Muslims to have four wives !

The episode hit headlines and even a few police officials were 'transferred out'; but to voters it had a magical appeal. In 2019 Mani Shankar Aiyar gave him 'Chae wala' tag and Modi started meeting people in the name of 'Chae pe charcha'. This was a game-changer.

Indian intellectuals love to think like 'convent educated' ones. I say this notwithstanding my own Don Bosco (St Anthony's background in Shillong); and often we fail to gauge the mood how the core Hindu voters in slums and villages are thinking.

Many years back, I had quizzed Late Vamuzo why he thought 'BJP has a future' in India. He had attended the BJP meeting in Mumbai. L K Advani had honoured him with a Kashmiri shawl.

Vamuzo's flamboyant response was, "If as a Naga or a Mizo, we keep thinking our history is different and unique and those in jungles still dream that things will be in our favour one-day....why we generally forget that Hindu voters also think with pride that they had a glorious past in India and Muslim rulers ill-treated them".  

Mamata and her powerful nephew 

This brings one to renaming of roads and railway stations. While media have lampooned such moves, there are an overwhelming section of Indian voters who are happy at these changes.

They are the BJP voters.   

Rewarding Phangnon:

Lastly, there is a need to see how the central BJP leaders are 'rewarding' lone Naga woman MP S Phangnon Konyak. Small or big, they are showing her respect. And most of it is happening because she is in their party.

In 2024 too, Nagaland BJP leaders (even without their president's approval) should hence try for a saffron party candidate. A regional party MP always is a backbencher. Congress MPs Shikiho Sema, Asungba Sangtam or Khyamo Lotha got due importance even when Congress was in the opposition. 

Wangyuh Konyak, Imchalemba, Tokheho Yepthomi or even Neiphiu Rio have missed those.

Ideally, therefore the contest should be between nominees from Congress and BJP.  And if senior leader  K L Chishi agrees to give it another shot as a Congress candidate; the battle will be more than exciting.

ends     

Chishi