Nagaland's date with destiny : Solution after election
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 22, 2013 -
The stakes are high, as in any election. Date with destiny ?
To the people of Nagaland it is not only going to be a question of whether the Naga People's Front led DAN will return to power for the third consecutive time or whether the Congress will be able to wrest power and end its days of political wilderness.
To a large extent the outcome of the election may be a precursor of things to come vis-a-vis the political negotiation between the IM faction of the NSCN and the Government of India.
Mr Nephiu Rio has already made his stand and hence the stand of the NPF clear.
Settlement of the Naga issue or more specifically inking a deal between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India is on top of the priority of his party.
Settling the Naga issue. While this has been the magic wand waved by all the political parties in the fray in Nagaland, it has been the NPF which has been in the forefront, with the Congress seemingly satisfied to follow the trail blazed by Mr Rio and his party.
The formation of the Joint Legislature Front of Nagaland, wherein all the 60 elected members of the House, offered to step down to pave the way for a final settlement demonstrated the seriousness of the political parties in Nagaland to go in for an early settlement.
Solution not election was the line adopted by many but with the Election Commission of India deciding that the polls should be held as scheduled, the final outcome of the ongoing political negotiation is going to be post election.
It is against this backdrop that Nagaland will go to polls on February 23.
The political ramifications of the Nagaland Assembly election on Manipur manifested itself when Mr Rio wittingly or unwittingly dubbed Mr Okram Ibobi as one of the biggest enemies of the Naga people, triggering a backlash from Manipur.
So how important would be the outcome of the election in Nagaland on Manipur, is the natural question that follows.
From Nagaland People's Front to Naga People's Front. From a party which was based only in Nagaland but has now spread to the neighbouring States, notably in Manipur, the NPF has indeed come a long way.
Same too for Mr Rio. From being one of the trusted lieutenants of Mr SC Jamir to ultimately becoming his bete noire and expelling the Congress in Nagaland to the political wilderness for ten years, the journey of Mr Rio too has been significant.
Manipur will certainly not forget those moments when Mr Rio hit the campaign trail in the election to its State Assembly last year and it is on record now that out of the sixty MLAs in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, four belong to the NPF.
This at a time when the Manipur People's Party and even the BJP failed to send a single representative to the Assembly.
A telling statement. Formidable. Certainly but undefeatable ?
Only time will tell and only the people of Nagaland can decide, but it would not be wrong to say that the NPF has been able to zero in on the issues which might just work at the hustings.
In Mr Rio, the NPF has the right man to project as its leader, something which the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee does not seem to have.
With SC Jamir in the winter of his political career, the Nagaland unit of the Congress party has found it difficult to project someone who can be pitchforked against Nephiu Rio.
Sure Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were there to woo the voters, but can the Gandhi charm really work in a State like Nagaland, which has its own specific political dynamics ?
Speculative question at the moment, but the real test for the political leaders and the people of Nagaland will come after the results of the election are announced.
To be sure it will also have ramifications in Manipur.
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