Note bank politics

If people in Nagaland are dismayed because the long awaited, much-promised and expected good news of political solution(closing the chapter of decades of conflict) made since 2003 has not arrived despite both Centre and state politicians assuring that solution would come as Christmas or New Year gift since many years. Election to the Nagaland legislative assembly(NLA) will be held on February 27 to choose the next 14th NLA. Aside from the narrative of solution to the Naga political issue- there is more to be concerned about why are people not wanting to being qualitative change through the ballot. This is a serious problem that has led to the state being stagnated as the mindset of the voters see election as nothing more than being just a ritual of note for vote or note bank politics. There is much concern as to why the state has been left behind in all spheres in comparison with other northeastern states who achieved statehood ten years or more after Nagaland in 1963.It wasn’t like that till the early 80s when people voted freely and fairly without fear or favour. Since then, elections have become an event for buying and selling of votes and eventually, ending up with reducing the electoral exercise to like putting old wine in new bottles. Issues that are crucial to people such as providing good governance, zero tolerance on corruption are no longer the narratives during electioneering. The people have been gripped by rampant corruption at various levels of the government and extortion, multiple taxation and syndication of market at the public level. The problems caused by rampant and illegal taxation on the economy and the people is well known. These are challenges which the government has not responded except to undertake a symbolic and passive action. Politicians need to talk openly about these issues and take a pledge. They also need to address where huge amount of money is spent on projects that linger of for decades and lead to huge cost overruns. Even the never-ending 4-lane construction is an example of cost overruns and a blot on the state. Even on the issue of irregular and back door appointments, no serious effort has been made to check the menace and least of all punishing those involved in stealing the future of the deserving lot. These are clear instances over the growing clout of parallel authorities controlling the entire economy at least in Dimapur, the so-called commercial capital and gateway of Nagaland. Trade and travel are boon for economic growth but Dimapur airport and Dimapur railway station have been doomed to their past glory, while all other airports and railway stations in the region have marched ahead. The cause is encroachments legalised through issuance of pattas by corrupt officials. The elected members are to deliver and so need to first reflect on the mess they have created during the decades in power by their reckless spending in the name of creating infrastructures which today stand totally exposed as sham and scam. In order to pull the wool over the eyes of public, politicians speak seriously about ‘solution’ in order to deflect responsibility for having caused moral, social and economic devastation of Nagaland. Abraham Lincoln had said ““You can fool all of the people some of time” but in Nagaland it is not ‘some of the time’ but ‘all of the time’.