Common command

 Regional political parties in Nagaland, often jest with mild sarcasm about the Congress’ high command culture and by saying so, suggest they are free of such a culture. Even the BJP has its high command in Delhi, though it prefers to call it central or national leadership. Whatever the terminology, the existence of a core national leadership are practical aspects of political parties that have a pan-India reach. Regional political parties in Nagaland never tire of taking a dig, especially at the state Congress or perhaps even BJP, that these national parties cannot do anything without the consent of their high commands in Delhi. These regional parties say, that unlike the national parties, their(regional parties) high command are the people. By maintaining that the Naga public are their high command, both NPF and NDPP are only indulging in rhetoric. This may be attested by the condition of the ordinary Naga public of Nagaland despite regional parties being in continuous power since 2003. It also does not indicate that the condition of the high command or the people/voters who are supposedly at a higher plane and above these political parties is enviable to say the least. In practice, the high command of the regional parties-public/voters- do not exist when it comes to sharing development. When it also comes to decision making, only a handful of Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) who generally favour everything that the government does, are taken into confidence. Therefore, the claim of people being their high command is also not based on facts but possible on fantasy. However, under the present political scenario in the state and in the light of formation of an all-party government and opposition-less assembly comprising of both the ruling PDA constituents and the opposition NPF; both the regional parties(NPF and NDPP) are eating their own words about the high command culture. Both the regional parties may not have any high command nor don’t need such but certainly they cannot ignore nor get away from the high command of the BJP. Nothing happens at the Centre or states (where BJP is ruling or in coalition with other parties) without the nod from the BJP’s national party leaders(who make up its high command) – prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P.Nadda. After NDPP, BJP and also NPF signed the MoU for an all-party government in Nagaland after inclusion of the opposition NPF; it appears that the BJP high command is not very thrilled about the idea. With NPF now part of the government, the BJP will lose much of its bargaining power with the NDPP. There are some within BJP who are inclined to rejoin with NPF for form an alternative government. They feel that the party can head the next government and gain more portfolios. The NPF is also not averse to the idea since it fears being marginalized if it remains in opposition before the next election. The NDPP has put an end to this by roping in NPF as part of the government. The BJP is also unwilling to forget how NPF rejected continuance of the pre-poll DAN alliance in 2018. While both NDPP and the BJP state unit have okayed the all-party government, the BJP headquarters is seeking some clarification on the matter and the objective- pressurizing the Centre to secure an early solution to the Naga political issue upon which the whole idea was pursued. Whether the regional parties like it or not, they seem susceptible to high command culture.