National BJP President Rajnath Singh during his recent visit to Dimapur has pointed out that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government led by the Congress is not sincere in bringing about peace and ending the more than six decades long Naga political problem. Not surprisingly, Rajnath is not the first Indian leader to subscribe to such a view on the Indo-Naga peace talks, which has weathered ten long years without any meaningful discourse among the country’s political parties. To put it bluntly, the Naga peace process is rather turning out to be an issue meant for electioneering and nothing more. With Assembly elections drawing near, the issue is bound to be heard with greater zeal and equally forgotten as easily by Indian politicians who will no doubt campaign for their respective parties by raking up the Naga peace talks and scoring brownie political points. The question that needs to be raised especially to the national parties in mainland India is why the Naga issue is brought up only during such visit as a populist slogan.
Whether it is the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) or the Opposition BJP, both have failed miserably to address the issue at the appropriate political level. If the BJP President was so concerned about the failure of the Congress led UPA government’s handling of the issue, one fails to understand as to why the main Opposition in the Indian Parliament has so far not found it of any importance to raise questions related to the Naga peace process on the floor of Parliament. Merely ridiculing the government will not do and the BJP as a responsible Opposition can easily take up the matter like it is doing on other issues. If the BJP President wants to put words into action, the Nagaland State BJP unit should advise him to take up the Naga issue at the coming Monsoon session of Parliament starting August 10. This will test the sincerity of the BJP on the Naga peace process—something it has always claimed at least among the Naga audience.
While the Naga people will always remain grateful to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for recognizing the uniqueness of Naga history, the question to be put before the BJP leadership in Delhi is whether the party can contribute towards building up a political discourse on the Naga issue. As pointed out during his Dimapur visit that the BJP once it comes to power at the Centre will revive the Naga peace talks and give a fresh impetus to it, the BJP if it is really sincere can still take the political initiative by suggesting what ‘fresh impetus’ the party can take. The coming Monsoon session of Parliament provides the best possible opportunity for the BJP to take up issue with the UPA government regarding the Naga peace talks. Merely raking up the issue during visits to Nagaland as a populist slogan will not serve any purpose other than demonstrating the Indian politician’s hollowness on the Naga issue.
