[ Tongam Rina ]
Ever wondered what our politicians are up to these days?
Nothing creative, or worthwhile, or for the good of the state, of course.
The last three weeks were spent in uncertainty as Takam Pario and Co tried to dislodge Pema Khandu from the Chief Minister’s chair. Remember December last year when the two richest men in Arunachal had fought for the chair?
So, it was an anniversary for both Pema and Pario – one saving his chair and the other coming after it. Anyways, the majority of the people perhaps won’t care who becomes the Chief Minister – but the latest political episode should be a cause of concern for the BJP’s central leadership.
A lot of things that work elsewhere in India won’t work in this state. The BJP is deliriously gung-ho about a lot of things, including cows and promotion of nationalism, deriding everyone who questions the power – but these are issues which have no meaning to the people and the politicians of our state.
Politicians here want security. Not your or my security, but the security of their chairs. And now, the BJP cannot promise security because it has a problem of plenty. There are too many people who want to join the elite club of 60. And the BJP has just too many of them, with every person worth their name joining the party, right from village Panchayat and upward.
In the last election, the party could not fill up the 60 seats.
The BJP central leadership’s indicating that it would give tickets to old players is perhaps the cause of the political upheaval in the state, apart from the greed of most of the MLAs (who anyways stand to make money every time there is a fight for the chair).
Now, election is a short time away, and the BJP leadership has to figure out how to keep the flock together. For now, the Congress looks like an easy option for those who switched loyalty recently. These people know that to win an election, party is not an issue but money is. Though there are rare exceptions, in Arunachal, people vote for money and not for party. If the BJP wants to retain power it’s better that the party understands this. Or else the Congress is always an option. The PPA need not even try contesting, as it will be used and reused without ever having to try.
Insecurity leads to a lot of undesirable situations and uncertainty, as we witnessed in the latest round of political tussle.
In the meantime, the BJP should know that cow protection can wait but the prospective MLAs – confused right now about which party to seek ticket from for the next legislative assembly – can’t.