Exit polls by various agencies, some with established credentials, have predicted a BJP win in Assam. The Assam election results are important as they will create a ripple effect in the neighbouring states as well. Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are the closet neighbours of Assam. Of the three states the last has already gone the BJP way. Nagaland’s ruling party – the Nagaland Peoples’ Front (NPF) is one of the constituents of the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre. So in effect, Meghalaya is the only Congress-ruled state at this juncture, apart from Mizoram. With no exit poll conducted for the Tura bye-election it is not clear which way the results would go. But gauging by the popular mood the results of the Lok Sabha poll could go to the Nationalist Peoples’ Party (NPP) which is also a constituent of the BJP. This will give the BJP a foothold in Meghalaya. There are already whispers doing the rounds that Meghalaya could witness a leadership change which could be orchestrated by the BJP. While these are in the realm of speculations they are not new to Meghalaya’s unstable political culture.
Since the NDA government took over the reins of governance at the Centre there have been several unsavoury developments such as the ban on beef eating, rewriting of school text books, polarization of students’ bodies in universities and politicisation of the academic space. Then we have the RSS and its brand of fanatics spouting out all manner of profanities on those who do not agree with their line of thinking. Their conservative ideological stances have sent a chill down the spine of many in this country such as tribals and religious minorities. There is a fear that if the BJP spreads its wings into the tribal states of the North East then the rich culture and tradition of the tribes would be subsumed into the dominant mainstream Hindu culture. Yet, a time has come for the tribes to learn to negotiate their own spaces within the larger Indian socio-political and cultural atlas. It is important for tribal leaders from here to get into the BJP and interpret their culture and liberal outlook to those in the Party who have a limited view of the people and culture of this country. To oppose is one thing; to engage is another. Engagement has the potential to bring about a mindset change in the opponent. The tribal leaders in the BJP fold had better maintain their independent stances and not get sucked by Hindutva and its divisive tentacles.