MTimes: Why did you choose BJP of all the parties?
I actually used to be a member of the NPF, but last year, my friends encouraged me to team up with the BJP party to join hands and work together for society. And that’s what motivated me to join the party since I was so eager to make a difference for Mokokchung’s community in general. Therefore, I was like, if after joining the party, I can contribute in doing something to improve the district then why not.
MTimes: What is your view on the recent declaration of BJP-NDPP seat sharing?
I think, personally for me, seat-sharing or not is not really important. I am only interested in whether we are choosing the right candidate who can serve our society. Especially, in Mokokchung district, we are prepared to offer our support to any candidate as long as they are going to work for the good of the people. Furthermore, what is the sense of running if the candidate ignores the electorate, regardless of the party? All we want to do is back the worthy candidate.
MTimes: How satisfied are you with the performance of the Minister from our town constituency?
Well, I believe he is succeeding thus far in his own way. I have lots of friends in the town constituency and they continue to say that he is doing incredibly well. I mean, political nature dictates that a person may be excellent for one individual but bad for another.
MTimes: Can you point out something he did that impressed you?
As of now, I do not have anything specific regarding that.
MTimes: What further demands would you like to make on behalf of the women in particular in this election as the leader of a political party?
I would really like to see women stand for election. Women compete in other places, and they do very well, so we should provide our women the same opportunities. We shouldn’t assume that only men are capable of something because women have accomplished something that men are not capable of.
However, regardless of the outcome, our primary worry is if the candidates are ruling for the Mokokchung district’s welfare. When our own district is poor, it makes no sense to discuss other districts or the state as a whole. So, regardless of gender, the only factor is whether or not a person is dedicated to serving the people who elected him or her.
MTimes: What would you like to ask for in terms of women’s welfare?
We had been working hard to support various self-help groups for women, raise awareness about anganwadi centres, and other things, but at the end of the day, I really hope that women candidates would be given an opportunity in this election.
MTimes: Do you have plans or wishes to contest someday?
I am not really interested but I would love to whole-heartedly support good people and candidates. I want to support those candidates who actually serve the public for good.
MTimes: There is a growing number of backdoor appointments, unemployment and corruption in Mokokchung and Nagaland, in general. We were also ranked the worst in a variety of Indexes such as Sustainable Goal Index, National Health Index, India Innovation Index and so on. As a party leader, how is your party assessing such issues?
You see, the government is elected by the public. It is the public’s responsibility to choose a government; hence, the attitude of the public matters a lot. If only we had not spoiled the government in the first place, this would not have happened.
For instance, whenever we want it, we approach the ministers for such backdoor appointments and now that you want to ensure your employment with the help of that minister, you do not have a choice but to support such a government.
Likewise, one after the other, such small things begins to accumulate into larger ones and that is the result we get. Therefore, in my understanding, although the government has their own flaws, a large part of it depends on the attitude of the public. We should also remember that the government was elected by the public.
MTimes: Given the report I just mentioned before regarding the government’s performance where your ally NDPP is also a part of, will your party still support the same candidate or would you wish to bring some changes?
About that, we shall have to wait for the center’s directive. Our candidature is still not finalized so let’s see what happens.
MTimes: In the event that the same candidate is elected, would your party stick with the candidate who is a part of the government that has been making such slow progress or will it demand a different approach to administration this time?
Well, up until now, things have gone very smoothly, but this time, if we have to help, we are sure that they are also evaluating their progress and must be working on things that they have to change. If they realize that there are some areas where things must change, then it will undoubtedly be to the benefit of the people and us.
Even while we may currently be in an alliance, you never know what will happen in the next election. They must, in my opinion, have taken something away from their experience if they want to win the support of the people.
MTimes: Are you confident that the BJP will win this election?
I have a great deal of confidence in the party. It has been a terrific experience working in the party, which has been becoming stronger every single day.
The only issue individuals have with the BJP is that they connect the party to a certain faith. But I want to be clear that the party has never demanded that we worship anything or anyone up to this point.
Usually, the kind of direction we get from the center through Ma’am Phangnon Konyak is what Mahila should do. Although she is new right now, there is a significant potential that in the future she will accomplish more for women.
We do get a lot of guidance, particularly from the centre, but up until this point, they have never gotten in the way of our faith.
Raksha Bandhan celebrations were recently directed, but I told them honestly that it has never been part of our cultural or religious beliefs, and they accepted and supported our decision.
Therefore, regardless of the party to which we belong, it is up to us. I firmly feel that our position will improve if the BJP is in power. And when we weigh the advantages and disadvantages, it is by far preferable to have a ruling government within our bounds.
Additionally, politics and religion need to be kept apart. All I ask is that people stop presuming that the BJP will have an impact on our religion and culture.
MTimes: Do you have an opinion on the recently filed, 33% reservation on the ULB election that is presently being heard by the Supreme Court?
I’ve said it before, that I’m in favour of anything that fosters growth and development. I honestly believe that we are moving backward rather than forward.
At an NPF convention, our honourable CM Rio once remarked that we were pioneers in both education and the acceptance of Christianity. Unfortunately, everyone is doing better than we are right now, so it is time for us to unite together and work hard to improve our district.