Thepfulhouvi Solo
I would like to propose the question to the citizens of Nagaland as to how they would term the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s Shift of his political Field of Play from the STATE to the NATIONAL.
The question is a bit uneasy to most thinking Nagas; some seemed a little uneasy and others hesitant to answer because the question has a load and has also a Rider too.
One veteran old Thinker said:
“let me think and phone you a little later’.
And a little later, he phoned me:
“He (Rio) has mischievously bamboozled the people”.
The Writer asked: “What do you mean by ‘Bamboo-zzle’?” and he said:
“You look up in the Dictionary for the meaning”.
I leafed through the big heavy ‘OXFORD DICTIONARY’ and it said: (cheat, hoax, mystify).
Another said: “I would not call it ‘a cheat or hoax’; I would call it: ‘very undesirable’”.
“Don’t say anything now, you just remain quiet and see what will happen after the Election Result: he may even resign if he does not get a Ministerial birth”, another said:
The Writer -without malice to the Person- would say: “Rio has gone to the Centre in search of a Jersey Cow which will give more milk to him than the Desi Cow”.
The time has come to Nagaland for us to talk very frankly, even vulgarly naked Truth sometimes, but with very little malice, so that Nagaland is purged of its Dross out of our inadequacies.
Jersey Island is a 49 square mile Area, much nearer the French Coast in the English Channel, but the Island belongs to the UK. Soon after you land in the Airport; in stead of hearing modern noisy Vehicles and Cars, you become aware the Island is a cacophony of deeply mowing Cows here and there all over the places, one after the other.
Jersey Island is famous for its high milk yielding Jersey Cows and the Municipal jealously guards the Breed of the Cows. Nobody is allowed to keep a Bull Cow without a 300 years history of high milk Yield Record, every Bull must have a Government Registration Number marked on the inside of one of its Ears!
One night, over the Dinner, a Farmer told all about the Animal and said a Cow yielded a record 32. kg of Jersey Milk a day the English are very fond of. Most of the male Cows on birth, are donated to the Jersey Zoo of World Famous Gerald Durrell, born in an Assam Tea Garden and invited a head hunter Naga!
Mr. Rio’s abandoning Shift of the Chief Minister Seat in Nagaland, is said to be a case of personal sacrifice for Nagaland; but the undesirables and the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages to the public:
i. it would lessens the special category status of the State of Nagaland.
From 1929 on, the Nagas have been stating a separate category of life from Mainstream life of India. Nagaland got a great measure what it wanted: -a special category of constitutional provision of Freedom for the Traditional Customary Practices and the Right of the Ownership of the land and its resources for the Nagas of Nagaland from the overriding weight of Indian Parliament.
The kith and kin people of the other Northeast States also now clamor for similar treatment from the Centre. If the Centre accedes; it may start a long domino effect to its burdens. On the other hand, if it would not listen to the voices of the other majority of the States; it would appear the Centre is not playing just.
The Centre is on the horns of dilemma on the Issue and if the Centre observes even a slight change in Nagaland’s tight rope walk, that would compromise the State’s future.
By giving too much company to the common Northeast lot, Nagaland’s special category would be compromised. Nagaland must maintain its own Politics. It would do well for Nagaland to maintain its friendly distance from other Northeast States to preserve the special, peculiar Constitutional provisions it has.
Rio accepting the Convenership of the Federation of lip-service other Regional Parties of the Northeast, in liaison with the national Bharata Janata Party (BJP), is impure Milk.
ii. The Shift would disturb one of the most precious modern Government’s democratic Principle of Secularism.
People in the rest of India today see a completely different look and Christian in the Nagas, at Nagaland and the Northeast: The Ethos of the BJP is Hindu; its hand and its fingers are not graceful to the people of other Religions. The Party intends to make a Bridge head in the Christian Northeast and if Christian Nagaland agrees to be yoked with it; my view it that it would be not good for the Society, if not unchristian.
Most Christian Theologians in Nagaland are well aware of Politics & Religion in the State and most keep themselves away from the Politics part of the combination. That is good but wise worldly silence often brings more harm to a Society than an honest voice against.
iii. The sudden Shift would create a political Gulmal in Nagaland.
If Messi and Ronaldo were to suddenly change their playing Field from Spain to England, there will be considerable disturbances in the whole European football Club rankings: Rios sudden change of political playing field from Nagaland to Delhi may unfortunately create a political tsunami in Nagaland. Already the rushing sound of a great Wind is heard; it is not known whether it will bring the Holy Spirit or political uncertainty to the State. If Rio failed to get a BJP Ministerial birth; it will be a loss to Nagaland a little and a great loss to Isac and Muivah!
“You just keep quiet and wait and see”, advised an esteemed colleague.
