TeaThe victory of BJP and its allies in Nagaland and Tripura reflects the changing dynamics of Indian politics, which has moved from “language of appeasement” to “actionable intent of development”. The Northeast was historically marginalized and less celebrated for its contribution to India. Its unique identity, culture and struggle against colonialism have either been made invisible or written out of history. And the pedagogy of nationalism left the Northeast out of the national imagination.
But the BJP, with its inclusive policies woven around development and diversity, is slowly bridging the gap between the so-called “mainland” and the “northeast region”. Now, the people of this region really feel that they are an integral part of the narrative of India, its imagination and nationalism. The manifestation of these processes of inclusion and the developmental approach of the BJP, evident in the election verdict, represents a politics of cultural and developmental synthesis beyond any one region.
The BJP has not only emerged as a major player, but has also collaborated with indigenous and local parties and representatives, thereby reducing hostilities between different factions – a cooperative central force. In Tripura, BJP won 32 seats. Its vote share in Nagaland increased from 15.31 per cent to 18.8 per cent. Although the BJP previously ruled Meghalaya in alliance with the National People’s Party (NPP), it contested this election separately. The BJP had won two important seats in the state. This steady rise of the BJP can be attributed to policies like Transformation by Transport, North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme for Eri Sericulture and Digital North East Vision 2022. Pradhan Mantri Vikas Pahal Yojana was launched for rapid and holistic development of the North East. To promote infrastructure and social development projects to promote livelihood activities for youth and women.
A major area of strength of the BJP lies in cultural unity, which is not there in other political parties. Culture is often blamed by the liberal class on non-state actors and civil society, but it has brought a positive turn of events for the “right wing”. They are effective in bringing the question of identity and culture into the realm of politics. Under the BJP-led central government, there have been initiatives that celebrate cultural diversity, especially in the capital city where monuments have been set up to celebrate the contribution of the unsung heroes of the northeastern region and represent their culture, identity and historical struggle. A place was made for Creation of India. This expression and cultural policies further bridged the gap between the people of the so-called mainland and the people of the Northeast.
how did the change come
Self-respect and dignity are important aspects of any cultural or social life and are achieved only when a nation recognizes the people of its diverse regions, their heroes and stories of valour. In November 2022, the streets of Delhi reverberated with the celebration of Lachit Barphukan’s stories of victory and courage. The vibrancy, history and achievements of the Northeast are being given due recognition by the BJP. The campaign focused its discourse on development in the region. BJP could not only understand the importance of different cultures and castes but also understand the importance of development which often attracts the youth. Rail and road connectivity for the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura was a historic moment for the development of the sector as it allowed people to move out of their states. In the manifesto released by the BJP in Nagaland, the main focus was on development policies with special provisions for the needs of the poor and elderly population and working towards peace-building and reconciliation.
The North-Eastern states represent a uniqueness in the history of the struggle against colonialism in their cultural development and political fragility, which until recently was probably recognized but no steps were taken to preserve it. The BJP manifesto promised that they would bring in special provisions for the protection of the uniqueness of not only the states but also various tribal groups and their cultural heritage. A Nagaland Cultural Research Fund will be created with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore. In addition, to preserve the Naga identity and culture, a cultural university and other such policies were pushed forward in the election campaign.
The BJP’s traditional approach towards women is incredibly successful. The party has seen the rise of many powerful women leaders. In this context, the BJP has been successful in bringing women power to the fore on the leadership front. The slogan of women power has shown its fruit in this election. Women emerged as a major voting segment as compared to men. Under the BJP-NDPP alliance, Nagaland got its first woman leadership. Two women candidates of the NDPP – Hekani Jakhlu and Salhoutuono Kruse – won the election, a first for Nagaland and the result of an active and prolonged campaign by the BJP. BJP had announced several initiatives for women empowerment under its manifesto.
An interesting aspect of this election was the emergence of political aspirations of the people beyond the narrow ideological politics that was resorted to in the past for vote bank politics. The political past of the region was fraught with insecurities of the future, which those in power took advantage of to shape divisive politics. But these insecurities were largely rectified with better infrastructure, peace and stability under the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ‘Rise of the Right’ in the Northeast should be seen as a victory for the people and the importance of politics of identities, cultures, diversity and above all development. Deprived of the pernicious effects of racial discrimination and historical emptiness, the people of the Northeast can now feel proud to be an Indian. Now, the BJP exemplifies governance par excellence, and not just the narrow notions of vote bank politics and the cycle of an uncertain future in which the Northeast is trapped. Day’s sunshine, Northeast now moves India towards East.
The author is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Laxmibai College, University of Delhi. She tweets at @AditiNarayani. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)