PM Modi must focus his attention on the troubled northeastern state

The tinderbox will keep smoldering until a political solution is found. The Army, which has been in the state for long periods to fight insurgent groups that have been involved in an armed revolt for decades, has told the government that this time a military response alone is not going to help. The politicians will have to put on their thinking caps to come up with a political solution.

“Modi’s majoritarian Hindutva politics and his gift of the gab have captivated a substantially large slice of the electorate, the core of which resides in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. But it is not only his dedicated supporters but also persons like me, who are critical of his doublespeak and autocratic tendencies, who appreciate his dignity, his carriage and his ability to hold his own when interacting with more powerful, and hence more arrogant, world leaders. Their intelligence agencies, like our own, must have given them a candid picture of the man with whom they were going to interact. But finally, it would be their national interests that would dominate their thoughts and words, just like those interests would be paramount in our PM’s calculations.”

Last week belonged to PM Narendra Modi. For the people of India, his visit to the US was a resounding success. It was cleverly structured by the External Affairs Ministry to give our Prime Minister maximum exposure as well as the maximum scope to exploit his communication skills. Twenty years ago, Modi had been blacklisted by the US and other western democracies for failing to do what his own party chief at that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, termed his ‘Raj Dharma’. The tide turned when Modi rode into Delhi with a massive mandate from the people. The US and the rest of the world were forced to acknowledge his undisputed leadership of the Indian nation.

Modi’s majoritarian Hindutva politics and his gift of the gab have captivated a substantially large slice of the electorate, the core of which resides in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. But it is not only his dedicated supporters but also persons like me, who are critical of his doublespeak and autocratic tendencies, who appreciate his dignity, his carriage and his ability to hold his own when interacting with more powerful, and hence more arrogant, world leaders. Their intelligence agencies, like our own, must have given them a candid picture of the man with whom they were going to interact. But finally, it would be their national interests that would dominate their thoughts and words, just like those interests would be paramount in our PM’s calculations.

The expanding markets in a rapidly developing country like ours and our geographic proximity to a resurgent and rapacious China, with its potential to unbalance the prevailing world order, will determine the thoughts and actions of the US, presently the leading world power. This world power unrolled the red carpet for Modi and we felt elated and honored.

Not everyone in India nor in the US is blind to Modi’s doublespeak, as some critics term it. The US Congress published an open letter to President Biden, signed by 26 legislators — 13 each from the Senate and the Congress — asking him to remind Modi of the slippage in human, political and other rights during his nine years in office.

Modi’s outreach to the Indian diaspora has been truly mind-boggling. It is something that no PM before Modi thought of doing. Indians of all creeds, castes and economic status flocked to the appointed meeting places at the appointed times. Even in Egypt, where the diaspora is small, Indians came to greet him. It warmed the cockles of Indian hearts at home and abroad.

Former US President Obama felt that Modi had to improve on his country’s treatment of the minorities, especially Muslims. That remark upset Sitharaman and other BJP bigwigs, introducing the first real sour note into the outcome of the visit. The fact is that Muslims feel alienated under this regime and that is the truth.

Modi’s trips to the US and Egypt will boost his support in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Unless, of course, the Opposition parties truly bury the hatchet and rise up as one to prevent further humiliation. With Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal both adamant on leading the Opposition, the picture of unity is not only hazy but also warped. Arvind is a cleverer and more wily politician. Rahul is a better human being. Rahul’s party commands greater support in different corners of the country than AAP. The latter dominates only in Delhi and Punjab. In both places, it has displaced the Congress as the party of preference and that rankles with the Congress think tank. Sulking should not be an option. Smart thinking is what is needed.

In Delhi, AAP has delivered on education and healthcare, the two core functions of any government worth its name. In Punjab, AAP has shown that grassroots corruption that hurts the common man can be tackled with political will and determination. Modi boasts of stopping corruption, but he only refers to big-ticket corruption by ministers and principal bureaucrats. Business houses are finding the atmosphere in the Central corridors of power easier to navigate, but the poorer citizens are still not rid of this perennial curse.

The Modi government’s dislike for the Right to Information Act is being felt by RTI activists. Attempts to tinker with the Act by watering down its provisions or by delaying the appointment of Information Commissioners or, even worse, making wrong choices in their appointment should attract an immediate course correction. If Modi truly wants to include each and every Indian in the development paradigm, irrespective of caste or creed, as he himself often proclaims, he should ensure that the RTI Act is strengthened and enforced vigorously.

After his triumphant return to his homeland from his US trip, Modi needs to apply his mind to Manipur. It’s known as that tiny piece of the North-East which produces some of India’s best sportspersons, prominent among them being boxer Mary Kom. She has been made an MP through nomination to the Rajya Sabha, though I doubt if she can pull her weight in that august House like she did in the boxing ring. If Mary could deliver a punch through her tongue, she would talk of the threat to life and property in her native state, posed by an incompetent government blessed by the BJP.

The dispute between the plains people, belonging mainly to the Meitei tribe, and the hill people, hailing from Kuki and Naga tribes, is as old as the hills where they reside. The fire was lit a couple of months ago when the Manipur High Court told the state government to consider petitions on the Meiteis’ demand for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since this would eventually deprive the Kukis and Nagas of some of the seats reserved under the ST quota, the tinderbox was lit.

The tinderbox will keep smoldering until a political solution is found. The Army, which has been in the state for long periods to fight insurgent groups that have been involved in an armed revolt for decades, has told the government that this time a military response alone is not going to help. The politicians will have to put on their thinking caps to come up with a political solution.

An added complication is the factor of religion. The people in the plains are Hindus and have been Hindus for ages. The Kukis and the Nagas are Christians and have been Christians for two centuries since American Baptist missionaries converted them in colonial times. Many churches in the valley have been torched and the priests and their helpers killed or beaten. The communal twist could have been ascribed to Hindutva zealots, but the BJP, as a party, had won over the tribals in Nagaland and Meghalaya during this year’s Assembly elections. It should use that leverage with its own extremist elements to avoid further bloodshed.

Above all, Modi needs to spend his personal capital and mediate.

(Author is a former governor and a highly decorated retired Indian Police Service officer