‘Today the common people are suffering due to ever rising prices of essential commodities’
Newmai News Network
Guwahati | March 25
Many intellectuals and prominent figures of the North East region perceive the ensuing Lok Sabha election as a usual exercise by political parties and politicians in fooling people.
In whirlwind interviews conducted by the Newmai News Network across the North East region, most intellectuals approached were not enthusiastic about commenting. They were all asked the same question: what should be the priorities of the political parties or candidates pertaining to the North East region? Most commentators seemed lethargic to the whole electioneering process, saying things will remain the same.
Dr. Malem Ningthouja, a New Delhi based activist and research scholar from Manipur, said there was no point telling political parties or politicians what they should do and what they should not as these politicians will forget the people’s sentiments after the elections.
However, Dr. Ningthouja said his only wish is that political parties or politicians encourage the people to democratically fight the ongoing neo-liberal exploitation in the name of development by the government. “Once this happens then this big world order will be free from subjugation, operation and exploitation in the name of national security,” Dr. Ningthouja said.
Dr. AC Bhagavati, former vice chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, expressed concern on the alleged lack of focus on the North East region by the Central government. He said DoNER is there but that is not enough. According to Dr. Bhagavati, there is a general colonial perception of the North East region saying there is no genuine concern by the government for the North East region. Another area of regret, expressed Dr. Bhagavati, is the level of corruption from the lowest level to the top.
Former advisor of North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), Artax Shimray, said there should be good governance that delivers services to the people. He said rights enshrined in the constitution must be ensured to the people.
Guwahati based senior journalist from The Indian Express, Samudragupta Kashyap, said connectivity should be improved in the region. He would like the ruling, and opposition alike, to address the pathetic condition of roads, rails and airways in the North East region. He also said infrastructure on the education front should not be neglected by politicians.
Noted intellectual from Nagaland, Niketu Iralu, expressed a similar view to Kashyap. Iralu wanted road conditions of the North East region to be brought up to a “decent level.” He stated that immigration of people from Bangladesh should be checked immediately; that if this is not done urgently, the situation is soon to explode, which will be catastrophic. Vote bank politics is one factor for this immigration problem, he observed.
Celebrated singer Lou Majaw from Shillong had a different view. He remained concerned about the pollution level, which, he said, should be addressed by politicians as an urgent issue. Another area of concern expressed by Lou Majaw was price rise. He said, today the common people are suffering due to ever rising prices of essential commodities and wanted politicians to check this trend.
