Patricia Mukhim
We are seeing a reactive Dr Mukul Sangma speak about a positive turn-around. But that’s not the only thing! He has termed his arch rival the BJP as “jokers.” That’s a cruel remark to make against a political rival, no matter how loathsome they be. But that’s what politics is reduced to in Meghalaya. It’s a game of name-calling. And at this point in time the Congress seems to be on the back-foot hence it is only indulging in demagoguery and reacting to the beef ban issue which anyway is a state subject. When political parties start to react to what their rivals do it shows that they actually have nothing much to say about their own achievements.
But of course the CM was very particular about touting his government’s success rate. He spoke of a positive turn-around repeatedly. One knows this because reporters generally record statements of VIPs and transcribe them verbatim. Editors know exactly how many times a particular word (turn-around) is repeated in the unedited report. The CM is fortunate that media here listen with respect and don’t usually grill politicians the way some reputed television channels did to Lallu Yadav. Yes, media persons here are so docile that they did not deem it necessary to ask the CM to explain what that “positive turn-around” actually is and what sectors his government has managed to turn around. Is it the power sector, the agriculture sector, the employment generation sector, the education sector, the public health engineering or the public works department sectors? Or is he speaking about the tourism sector and the 30% subsidy on tourism infrastructure ( home-stay facilities) – a scheme which has been taken advantage of by a few well established tour operators even while young entrepreneurs are still groping for funds?
Every demagogue needs an enemy. For the Congress and for Dr Mukul Sangma today the BJP is that enemy. But we are at the very first leg of the election campaign. People have not even shown their cards yet. The grapevine says some of the leading Congressmen/ministers are likely to join the BJP. And while some of Dr Sangma’s political rivals are right there and visible, such as PN Syiem, others are less obtrusive. They are waiting and watching the unfolding political scene and will jump ship by September this year. As far as PN Syiem is concerned, he already knows his political rival – a former bureaucrat – so he can start his campaign right away. It might not be such a tall order for Syiem to defeat a ‘babu’ who has for two decades or more only known how to talk down to people. How a supercilious bureaucrat can suddenly transform into a people-person rubbing shoulders with the hoi-polloi will be quite a spectacle. Maybe one can learn about behavioral change from the 2018 election. Of course Mawsynram will be an electoral fantasia with money changing hands like nobody’s business. Both candidates will demonstrate their purchasing power even while the Election Commission will be left twiddling its thumbs, as is usually the case.
At the moment the Congress is a sinking ship. With Rahul Gandhi on a family vacation at a time when he should be lobbying for a consensus opposition presidential candidate, it’s almost as if the Congress has given up its attempt to forge opposition unity. There are no formidable national campaigners for the Party at this juncture. Besides, the MUA government must suffer it share of anti-incumbency after having been in the driving seat for seven years and with no visible turn-around for the majority of Meghalaya’s population. The Congress chief, as confided by his own party workers is very quick at clipping the wings of upcoming leaders. But hasn’t that been the story of every political party? Hence any decent person wanting to contest elections will always have to think of entering a new party or contest as an independent candidate. Quite a few rebels from the regional parties and the Congress, now seem to be wooing the National Peoples’ Party (NPP) but with PA Sangma out of the scene, you wonder if the two younger Sangmas can rally the aggrieved candidates and consolidate the party’s political base.
One only has to talk to people to find out that they are ready for a change. But what form that change will take and who will lead that change seems to be the million dollar question. The regional parties who we thought would all converge now look a bit under the weather. It’s only the UDP and the HSPDP that have teamed up while KHNAM and the other newbies are out of the confederacy. So it is correct to expect that each constituency will have at least 5 candidates, one each from the Congress, BJP, PDF, NPP and the UDP-HSPDP. There might also be independents and the NCP too in some constituencies. So who will win in this multi-cornered contest is a tough prediction to make. So far the Congress has benefitted from such contests. But a lot depends on the candidates!
It will also be fun to watch how the BJP responds to the “joker” compliment of Dr Mukul Sangma. The Party thinks it is too early to bare its fangs. Incidentally, Dr Sangma has not launched a tirade against the regional parties, nor they at the Congress. Possibly both groups are looking at the numbers game and the possibility of forming a coalition government after February-March 2018. In that case Meghalaya is headed for another status quo and change is unlikely to make its appearance.
Dr Mukul Sangma while speaking to the media referred to his Government’s non-acceptance of the business –as –usual attitude in addressing agitations from pressure groups. That is an aspect of his government that deserves commendation. The presence of the Meghalaya High Court which has prohibited the media from publishing news of bandhs and hartals has also helped the cause. Quantifying the loss suffered by the state during the ILP agitation and filing an FIR against the different interest groups has succeeded in ushering in an atmosphere of relative harmony which in turn has allowed tourism to thrive. This is one plus point of the MUA-II government. But in terms of real development not much has been achieved. It is also a fact that Dr Sangma is running a cabinet that comprises ministers who have failed to deliver. The departments that have failed the people of this state the most are Power, Education, Health, Urban Affairs, PWD, PHED, C&RD and Agriculture. Dr Sangma’s baby – The Basin Development Programme – which envisages a convergence of several departments has failed to achieve its objectives because departments have huge egos and want to function in silos. Some departmental heads complain that a large part of their budget is siphoned off to the Basin Project which has not yet been subjected to an external evaluation.
The Basin project is a new experiment and like every new venture it is bound to suffer hiccups but if there are visible gains from the project and people at the grass root are actually benefitting then I suppose the objective is achieved. But that can only happen if there is an independent evaluation team who will share their findings publicly. And seven years is enough time for any programme to make an impact!
It’s time for Dr Sangma to speak about his government’s achievements at a public forum where intelligent questions can be asked. The reason one asks for a public forum is because the answers trotted out in the Assembly are not incisive and lack coherence. They are attempts at obfuscation and the ruling party gets off lightly. Also, we have had enough of lectures. Now it’s question time!