My Tryst with Northeast India The Leadership Question

By Margaret Gangte

We, the people in the margin of Indian sub continent, ie, Kashmir, Northeast region of India comprising the seven sister states particularly tribal and tribes of other states like Chattisgarh and  Jharkhand where naxalites and Maoists are operating will always be put in a different box, whether we have development and peace or insurgencies. The reason is because; the social fabric on which Hindu society rests is on the principle of inequality.

This principle infact has affected their own Hindu mainstream social structure through caste system for centuries more than 'us' from the margins in the northeast region.

With this underlying principle on which a social fabric exists, the politics-and economic structure are shaped accordingly. At individual level, there are plenty of hurdles while dealing with mainlanders on every front. If they cheat their own kith and kin, they will cheat you more vehemently.

Regarding North East Region of India, Mizoram is progressing now because they work hard, Arunachal is pampered, Sikkim is working hard too, Assam has resources but the politics is nasty, Meghalaya appears to have no problem but their administration is very static and archaic like colonial days, Nagaland is affected because of the crisis originated from Manipur. Tripura is managing with investment.

The worst effected state in the end is Manipur having three strong ethnic groups, Meities of the valley, Kuki –Chin- Mizo group   and Nagas group of the hills who are not getting on well. It’s a leadership problem.

I substantiate the problem of leadership crisis in NE with my own experience. During the last few years, I faced very critical problems here in Delhi out of deep jealousy of Indian mainlanders...amounting to discrimination and putting me in a defunct condition like Aung Sang Su so that my performance is curtailed and my growth stopped. I looked for one leader to help me out from NE, because expecting help from Manipur leaders will be like expecting pigs to have wings to fly. I could not find one.

The MPs could not even forward one letter or one word which could stop the discrimination and ill treatment. I helped Mizoram years ago in getting the new Mizoram House land allotment (1998-99).

I helped the Turial power project of Mizoram under Japanese funding for years. When I was in trouble, their CM was not responding to me.  The Japanese Sericulture project In Manipur was slated to be scrapped off by Ministry of Textiles in 2000. I defended the project in DEA, Ministry of Finance and worked for its survival to benefit the state for which wide publicity was given in the news. But when   I tried to meet the Manipur CM while in need of help, I received no response.

I helped Meghalaya and Sikkim with their water supply and sanitation project from Australian aid, a project that sustained them for years now.  It was a project buried in Government of India for five years. I revived the proposal, took the Ausaid team to NE in 2000 as the first team from DEA to ever visit the northeast region and helped in the implementation. But I could not find one leader to help me from these two states while I was in need of help.

I have various interactions with Assam leaders on many issues but could not find one leader to help me while in trouble.   I realized finally that NE lacked effective leadership like its motherland.   My published article on ' Dilemma of Finding an Alternative' is against the background of dilemma of leadership in the region.

In deep thinking on all of these issues, I realized there are two ways left for us: develop yourself no matter what or fight for independent sovereign no matter what. I think the first option is more feasible. Unless, we develop ourselves, the recognition, respect and regard from others will never come.

After all, what are we fighting for in life?  Ultimately, we want to be recognized as citizens, as human beings and as worthy people in peace time or in conflict situation. If the forces to move independent state are strong enough, I am certainly one person who would like to support that movement.

However, we do not have that force. So I succumbed to agree to peace and development. Whether it will actually give me peace and development at the end of the day...that is a big question.

(Ms. Margaret Gangte is Director, Ministry of Defence Government of India and can be contacted at Email id: mg-nn@hotmail.com)