Much about unity

It was quite not entirely unexpected that the Naga People’s Front (NPF) has come out openly in inviting the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) to ‘come together’ or in other words ‘unify’ since “this is the desire of the Naga people”. This remark was made by one NPF functionary while addressing the local media recently. Both the parties NPF and NDPP have the same gene when it comes to being of the home grown regional variety. Therefore, the proposal to come together or unify cannot be something too difficult to achieve only provided it is a win-win situation for both entities. However, it is interesting that there are efforts to unify both these regional parties when the fact remains that both are already on the same page as part of the party-less and opposition-less United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government. Both have come together or unified to push for early solution to the Naga political issue in the larger interests of the Naga people. Even before UDA all political parties have agreed to come together on the same issue in 2015 when eight opposition Congress MLAs joined the DAN-III. Earlier to these ‘opposition-less’ legislative assembly, the legislators have come together under Joint Legislators Forum (JLF) in 2012 on the Naga political issue. The idea of coming together sounds like a good reason but the not based on good sound reasons. Playing or acting the role as facilitators for the Naga political issue didn’t get much traction a NPF broke away form JLF to form its own Political Affairs Mission (PAM) in August 2020. It was only on union home minister Amit Shah’s prodding that both re-united under Core Committee on Naga Political issue. From facilitator the legislators under Core Committee claim they will act as ‘pressure lobby’ for early solution to the Naga political issue. In Nagaland the trend to’ come together’ or ‘to unify’ for the political issue is an unmistakable revelation that politicians don’t want to expose each other for incompetence, inefficiency or broadly, mis-governance as everybody has been in power at one period or the other. Perhaps there is more logic not to point fingers about corruption since the pot cannot call the kettle black? All these pronouncement over rooftops have borne little or no result since 2003, when a regional party-led alliance came to power by promising to bring solution within three months. Today, it is nearly 20 years of going through the same ritual- consultative meetings, high power committees , resolutions, going to Delhi and back again (to square one). The public organisations pay lip service to the favourite word-unity- but falter when it comes to matters of standing for what is truth in the face of perceived rights, privileges and all entitlements. The church organisation or religious leaders in Nagaland , who many expect to act as the rudder of society, are more inclined to lament about the ‘situation’ and asking the ‘believers’ to pray and fast for divine intervention. The elected, the tribe and social organisations and church should see where other states which came into being more than a decade after Nagaland have reached, while their state has become stagnated because majority of people believe that their leaders, who are blinded by greed, will lead them to a bright future.