The 11th five-year plan (2007-12), which aims at sustaining a nine per cent economic growth was approved by the National Development Council (NDC) on Wednesday amidst political controversy on allegations made by the BJP of “communal budgeting”, which the Prime Minister was quick to rebut. This comment from the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the criticism over the UPA government’s 15-point programme for economic development of minorities should not come as a surprise. Besides, the increasing possibility of early Parliamentary Elections, the NDC itself being a conglomeration of all the States on the Indian Union, it has been used as a platform for political bargaining on other occasions as well. While the Prime Minister may have debunked the charge of the BJP with the message that development cannot be seen through the prism of caste or religious divide, nevertheless, it will be a myth to suggest that the documents relating to the five-year plans or for that matter development in general, is anything but purely economics. At the end of the day whether it is the Congress or the BJP, it is unavoidable not to include the grains of party politics into something as important as the five year plans. Unfortunately, it is for this reason that economic documents because of the political discretion is usually bereft of economic rationale and may end up as appeasement for the purpose of vote bank politics.
Of more interest however is that, although Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio, during the NDC meeting, may have reminded Delhi on the non-implementation of Prime Minister’s package for Nagaland like the revival of the Tuli paper mill, four-laning of NH 39 and employment opportunities, it is anybody’s guess that with State Elections in February 2008 these specific proposals may be put either on the backburner for political reasons or the UPA government at the Centre has its own thinking. For instance, during his recent visit to Nagaland, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries, Jairam Ramesh conveyed that that the Centre has given a “Golden Jubilee gift” to the people of Mokokchung, a Rs.600 crore gift to revive the Nagaland Pulp and Paper Mill at Tuli. Ramesh who was speaking during the culmination programme of the 50th Anniversary of Mokokchung district, a traditional stronghold of the Congress, even invoked the name of Indira Gandhi while reminding that the Tuli Paper Mill was a “dream project” of the late Congress Prime Minister. This is another example of politicizing development issues for electoral gains and it is obvious that the Congress led UPA at the Centre does not want to give anymore leeway to Rio and his DAN government with elections so close by. For the public therefore, with politics coming to the centre stage, development will have to be put in the backburner at least until elections are over since development is also driven for political ends, which though unfortunate is nevertheless a reality.
