Left or Right: the complex politics of India
- Imphal Times Editorial :: November 12 2020 -

There are several schools of thoughts that explain the narrative of how a democratic country like India should be run, India being followed a multiparty party system there are as many as 2598, with 8 national parties, 52 state parties, and 2538 unrecognized political parties as per the latest as per latest publication from Election Commission of India.

Early day’s political scientists divided the political parties into Right Wing, Left-wing, and a liberal one which is neither Right nor Left. But today it is still relevant or not is a matter to be pondered on.

Of the 2500 plus political parties, how many are left-leaning parties under which theory or how many political parties are Right-leaning political parties and how many of them are in the middle – it is a matter that confuses students of political science.

Of course, the BJP which is leading the government at the center is a right-wing political party and everyone knows that.

The Communist Party is a Left-wing party but its ideology of being leftist has lost its significance when they have to go with a political party which is neither leftist nor righteous.

This was seen during the UPA government under the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh when there was an SPF government in the center.

Likewise, the right-wing political party Siva Sena or Bhim Sena has failed to go hand in hand with the BJP.

In Maharastra, the Siva Sena, which has been considered as an extreme right-wing political party is now going with the NCP and is supported by the Congress party which has many times attacked the Right-wing party in the annals of the Indian political history.

Recently elected US Vice President Kamala Harris in her speech had quoted one of the best remarks by a former US Congressman, John Lewis, which he wrote that “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part.”

Surjit Nair, the Editor of HW News has interpreted the statement in a different way. His interpretation was about the inability to voice against the policy of the policymakers of the democratic country.

Coming back to India Congress Party has its strong ideology on what it believes should be in a democratic nation.

The BJP is also clear about its idea of India. Both the ideology of making India are justified from their own perspective.

After the Congress-ruled maximum years after becoming a republic nation, India remains just an imagined nation with bigger states with more numbers of lawmakers giving all effort to control the smaller states.

Now after 60 odd years of Independence, the BJP which thought that the idea of India as per the Congress think tank is wrong is in the power. The party having an absolute majority at the Lok Sabha now started implementing their ideology.

This writing is not about criticizing, or comparing the good or bad of the Congress party or the BJP. It is about the fate of smaller states like Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, etc.

As for the South Indian states they have thousands of politically civilized people and they have a strong regional base political party adapted to their society which also gets the mandate of their people and it will take a long way to penetrate the school of thoughts developed by either Congress Party or the BJP.

For Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya they too have a strong foundation of politics based on their believed and that is why the Regional party still rules the Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya.

When it comes to the state of Manipur – do the people have its strong political will with a vision to protect the state.

No regional party of its own could be successful and the government is formed depending upon the rise of either, BJP or Congress in the center.

If Congress comes to power at the center, it took just a couple of months to form a congress led government and when BJP is in power it took less time to run the government under its leadership.

Where is the political will of the people of Manipur? How are people expecting the future?

Will the future of Manipur be dependable to the center and if so, can the people protect its unique identity of being the 2nd Asiatic country to have a democratically elected government even before the Union of India came into existence.

The need of the hour is a government which is independent in taking a decision without taking permission from their respective political party’s leaders from the mainland.