THE BJP strongman in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma has been appointed convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) by the Party. The Alliance which is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance includes the chief ministers of Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland in its fold. This leaves out Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura from the list of eight north eastern states. Biswa Sarma is known to drive his agenda with the passion of a preacher. If he is given a task, he delivers. Manipur is heading for elections next year. At the moment, Manipur is under siege, being held captive by different NGOs. Bandhs have been called alternatively by the hill and valley based NGOs to counter one another’s political moves. It is the common people who are caught in a bind and find the Ibobi Singh Government totally incapable of taking decisions that will serve the public good. In fact, so disillusioned are the people of Manipur that they want to see a change of government sooner than later. Tripura is strongly entrenched in Communist ideology for now and it does not look like the BJP or the Congress can shake the Left bastion for now. That leaves Mizoram and Meghalaya. It is unclear if the BJP will make its moves there. It is Meghalaya that seems ready for action following the defeat of the Congress MP candidate Dikkanchi D Shira.
Himanta Biswa Sarma is known for his antipathy towards Mukul Sangma. Hence Meghalaya might be his first target. The fact that Congress took on the BJP in this election is not without reason. BJP Secretary in charge Meghalaya has been making frequent visits to the state to feel the pulse of the people here and also meeting politicians from across party lines. Kohli is quick to sense a dissatisfaction even within the Congress Party, hence his statement that the MUA Government of Mukul Sangma would fall under the weight of its own contradictions. Kohli and Biswa Sarma working together would be a formidable force for the Congress to counter. Many party stalwarts in the Congress have been voicing their concerns outside the Party forum since there is no space to do so within it. Dr Mukul Sangma held the Party and Government under a tight leash for over five years. In the bargain he has brought some stability to Meghalaya’s uncertain political ecosystem. But whether political stability has had a positive impact is uncertain. Besides, the changed political equation at the Centre, with the BJP at the helm is not helping the Congress ruled states. There is a fund squeeze which indirectly impacts on development in these states. While this is not good practice as much as Article 356 is repugnant to democracy, every government in power uses these tactics to come to power in those states where it isn’t. The regional parties in Meghalaya have already sharpened their knives and would be quick to form a coalition of the willing to unseat Mukul Sangma. In this game of one-upmanship the Congress stalwarts themselves might be leading the charge. It will be interesting to see if Mukul Sangma can come out of the recent election debacle in Garo Hills, unscathed.