In significant yet surprising statement, the National President of the BJP Nitin Gadkari has assured that a separate State of Frontier Nagaland will be created if the BJP led NDA comes to power at the Centre. The BJP President made this assurance during a “close-knit political interaction” regarding ENPO statehood demand with members of the Nagaland State BJP. According to a statement issued by Hayithung Bill Lotha, Member Secretary ‘High-Power Committee’ on ENPO statehood demand, Nagaland state unit BJP, the national President BJP Nitin Gadkari categorically commended that “after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, on the BJP led National Alliance coming to power at the Centre, I assure the Eastern Nagas that a Separate State will be created as per their genuine demand.” Whether to welcome or not such an assurance is not the question here but rather whether the BJP is in a position to deliver even if it comes to power is something that needs to be made known especially to the Naga public. Political parties should not make tall promises just for the sake of vote bank politics. All of us are aware of the promise of a certain political party in Nagaland which had assured that once it came to power it would resolve the Naga political issue within three months. It’s now close to nine years since the NPF led DAN government came to power and a solution to the Naga issue continue to elude us. As such, the statement of the BJP President is too good to be true but we should not have too much of an expectation. The difference between promises that is made during the heat and dust of political campaign and the bittersweet reality of everyday decision making in government is only too well known. It will take more than mere assurance to achieve quick results on the ground.
In fact the bold assurance of the BJP on Frontier Nagaland statehood demand should be seen in the overall context of national policy that has been evolving over the years on creation of new States. So you can say there is a mismatch (at least on the surface) as far as the position of the two national parties is concerned on creation of new States. The latest statement of the Government of India on this particular issue made in the Lok Sabha does not come as a surprise. It has taken the position that “it will act on matters concerning creation of separate/new States only if there is a broad consensus from the Parent state from which a separate province has been proposed to be carved out”. Obviously the Congress party which has been ruling at the Centre for the last two tenure of office is not too keen to go for smaller states and so this play-safe policy of the present UPA government. Historically it would seem that the BJP at least in the recent past has been more creative in reorganization of States. During the last BJP led NDA government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, several new States were formed out of existing bigger States. Perhaps the political management of a particular demand or situation is also going to be a factor, which going by past trends, the BJP has been better at it. So you may never know with politics—it’s the art of the possible.
