Nagaland’s Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio while speaking at the Eclectic Young Leaders Connect 2 summit under the theme “Connect, Exchange, Strengthen” organized by Youthnet in Kohima recently, has presented a matter of fact appraisal of the problems and prospects in the Northeast region. One of the important points raised by Rio was what he described as “resolving the outstanding political issues and insurgencies in the Northeast region” by the Government of India. As mentioned by Rio, it is true that “unless there is an air of political stability created by removing insurgency and violence, the region will continue to lag behind”. And to go about the task of making the NE region a place of peace, stability, industry and prosperity it will require positive input from relevant stakeholder. So Rio is absolutely right when he says that the Government of India must have the will to resolve the political issues. And at the same time, as stated by Rio, the “people of the region must understand the ground realities and appreciate the problems of the Government of India” while also pointing out that many of the problems we face are, in fact, created by us”.
And so for the youths from the northeast region in particular, to “connect, exchange and strengthen”, is indeed a vital exercise that needs to be sustained and nurtured. Hopefully through such initiatives, some of the known concerns facing the region can be better diagnosed and addressed. And who would better understand the problems of the region and also the future prospects then the youths of northeast themselves. Precisely the point as rightly mentioned by someone who perhaps represents the new India—Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekar “that for many decades, development of many parts of India like the northeast have been viewed through a narrow geo-political prism”. In fact anything related to the Northeast region be it development, cultural exchange, education or tourism, they have to get ‘security clearance’ from the so called Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) where a separate NE Division hovers over even the most mundane things. Earlier this year Nagaland was witness to such contempt exhibited by the mandarins of the MHA, who were unhappy that the visit of eight European envoys had taken place ‘without any intimation and security clearance’. This is the kind of treatment meted out to people of the region as though we are some kind of pariah and not even worthy of respect as equal citizens. Obviously such kind of unwelcome attitude has to change.
Here we need to encourage the voice of new India represented by people like the young Rajya Sabha MP from Bangalore Rajeev Chandrashekar who had the courage and conviction to advocate for a vibrant and progressive northeast which he sees as vital to building a strong India. His other relevant message—need for change in the mindset and roles of both the government sector and the youths of the region—is something that will have to come from within the respective States and is something like homework if we want the northeast region to progress and become vibrant. At present the ground reality of ‘development’ in the NE region is not commensurate with the generous funding from Delhi. We have to learn from the past and make sure that such funds are not merely hijacked by the politicians and their coterie otherwise the tall claims of a developed NE region will remain a utopia. This will call for good governance, transparency, moral leadership, active citizenry and strengthening our institutions to perform and deliver. And importantly if the region has to move forward then the governments of the different states must work together on a more regular basis, which at present is not happening. There is not enough of common platform for the States to engage and deliberate. Perhaps the Northeast Council (NEC) can be refashioned to meet this objective. The governments and people of the region need to talk and listen to each other more often.
