No show by Modi in Manipur, poll boycott in Nagaland hold governance lessons for BJP

No show by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for electioneering in Manipur and the same by around four lakh voters in polling booths in six districts of Nagaland on Friday (April 19) carried a much larger message than perceived.

The two above scenarios exposed the flaws in the BJP’s governance and political model.

How BJP mobilised voters before Assembly polls

Ahead of the Nagaland Assembly elections held in February last year, the BJP-led government at the Centre promised to create a “state-within-state” comprising six bordering districts to woo the tribes inhabiting the region.

The tribes were protesting against non-fulfilment of their separate statehood demand, which was initially fuelled by the BJP to create a political space for itself in the Christian-dominated state.

Following the Centre’s promise, the people of the area not only participated in the Assembly elections, but overwhelmingly backed the BJP and its alliance partner, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

The BJP pocketed eight of the region’s 20 seats while the remaining 12 went to the NDPP kitty.

Promise of Frontier Nagaland Territory

Union Home Minister Amit Shah later met a delegation of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO), the apex tribal body that was spearheading the statehood demand.

“Rejecting our demand for a state or a Union territory, the home ministry offered to create a unique political and administrative set up for the six districts under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution to be named Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT),” the ENPO president R Tsapikiu Sangtam told The Federal.

He said the new entity with legislative and executive powers of its own was supposed to be more empowered than the autonomous council created under the Sixth Schedule.

“A 49-member legislative body was promised under the special arrangement. It would have control over around 40 departments, including home and finance. An additional chief secretary and additional director general of police would have been the administrative and police heads of the proposed Frontier Territory. In a way the arrangement was something like a state within a state,” Sangtam said.

“We were told that the new set up would be created immediately after the Assembly elections. We reposed our faith in the government of the country,” he said.

The ENPO welcomed the proposal as it would have addressed their grievances without bifurcating the state.

Political exploitation of Naga voters?

Months passed since the Assembly elections were held, but nothing materialised, just like many of the BJP government other promises, including a permanent solution to the Naga political problem the Centre assured signing a Framework Agreement with the NSCN (IM) in 2015.

This is not the first time that the BJP has dragged its feet over the ENPO’s demand, after “politically exploiting” it to the hilt, taking advantage of the sense of neglect prevailing in the area.

The six bordering districts of Nagaland that abstained from polling comprise the most underdeveloped region of the state, which itself is a laggard. The districts account for around 30 per cent of the state’s 13.25 lakh voters.

Behind demands for statehood

The development deficiency fuelled the separate statehood demand.

The demand was first made in November 2010. The BJP was then trying to get a toehold in electoral politics in Nagaland, piggybacking on the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF).

Of the two seats where lotus bloomed in the state in the 2008 Assembly elections, one was Wakching in Mon, one of the six eastern Nagaland districts. More importantly for the BJP, it finished second in two of the constituencies in the state’s backward eastern region bordering Myanmar.

To expand its political base, the then BJP national president Nitin Gadkari in 2012 assured that the demand would be fulfilled if the BJP came to power at the Centre.

In December last when the ENPO reminded the Centre of its promise of the Frontier Territory, it was told that it would be fulfilled before the election model codes of conduct come into play.

Not voting a sign of protest

“The MHA told us that the implementation is delayed because the state government is yet to give its nod to the proposal,” Sangtam recalled. “The delay has provoked the sentiment of our people, leading to the voluntary abstention from voting on Friday. Not voting is also the democratic rights of the people.”

If the Home Ministry was sincere in honouring its words, it would have put pressure on the state government to clear the proposal, former Nagaland Pradesh Congress president K Therie said.

At a campaign rally in Wokha earlier this month, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio reportedly claimed that the proposed frontier territory functioning with the governor serving “as a go-between” the state government and FNT will be constitutionally unfeasible.

State govt not taken into confidence

The state government is in favour of an autonomous council.

Clearly, the Centre has not taken the state government into confidence before committing the FNT to the ENPO. This despite the fact that the BJP is an alliance partner in the Rio government.

“The boycott is the result of the BJP’s typical commit-and-forget approach to a complex problem. If the ENPO-issue is not handled sensibly, it can create a rift in Naga society. Unfortunately, the BJP government in New Delhi is dealing with the issue very casually,” said Kohima-based senior journalist Hokugha Chishi.

Why Modi gave Manipur a miss

Manipur is a glaring example of BJP’s mishandling of an ethnic divide to an extent that now even the prime minister is avoiding a visit there. The Inner Manipur constituency and a part of Outer Manipur seat saw voting on Friday amidst, violence, intimidation and boycott. Repolling has been ordered in 11 polling booths of the Inner Manipur constituency on Monday (April 22).

Prime Minister Modi, BJP’s star campaigner in the country, was conspicuous by his absence in the campaigning in the state. Home minister Amit Shah was greeted with protest and go-back slogans when he reached the state capital Imphal for campaigning earlier this month.

It's unlikely that the prime minister will campaign in the state even for the Outer Manipur seat that will go to poll on April 26. Modi did not visit Manipur even once during the past 11 months of unprecedented carnage in the state.

His absence has become an election issue in the state, causing a major embarrassment to the BJP.

“The current mess in Manipur is largely the doing of BJP’s double-engine government (one at the Centre and the other in the state),” said Onil Kshetrimayum, a social activist from Manipur

‘Raj dharma’ message

The Modi government projects itself as a strong regime. The prime minister was heard saying at an election rally in Madhya Pradesh on Friday that when a war cloud is hovering over the world, the country needs a strong BJP-led government that neither comes under pressure nor bows down before anyone.

Contrary to such projection, it has failed to act tough to disarm the armed militia that rule the roost in the trouble-torn state, pandering to the popular sentiment.

Most of the arms looted from the state police armouries are yet to be recovered allegedly due to lack of political will. As a result, militias are seen openly roaming on the streets flaunting their assault weapons

Putting political compulsions before peace, the BJP government in the state has been allowed to function despite its writ not extending beyond certain areas, and central security agencies holding Chief Minister Biren Singh accountable for the strife.

“The Centre and more importantly the prime minister left Manipur in the lurch, allowing the violence to fester,” observed Xavier Mao, a social scientist and professor at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU).

Stating that the developments in Nagaland and Manipur though not related, he said they have an underlying Raj-dharma message for the BJP.

A government should avoid making hasty commitments for political gain and be sensitive to the overlapping demands and aspirations of diverse communities, or else it ends up creating a caustic and corrosive situation akin to Manipur, he added.