As we prepare ourselves to go for polling in the coming Lok Sabha Elections on 19th April 2024, it is imperative for us to recall the past, imagine our future, and do what is right in these unprecedented times. In this changing situation in India, our unity is paramount to safeguard democracy so through our votes, the right government is formed.
The ideology of Hindu majoritarianism and religious vigilantism is on the rise, as Hindu extremists systematically and deliberated target Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and minorities. The present central government has adopted Hindutva as its core ideology and in power, has endorsed and actively promoted right-wing extremism.
This is an existential concern for all minorities including Christians, the tribals in north east and Nagas. Political leaders who incited hate speeches are considered patriotic, whereas journalists and media personals who voiced for democracy and freedom of speech have been targeted as anti-national. The civic spaces in India are shrinking. This is an unimaginable reality we must challenge consciously with courage and active engagement.
The conflict in Manipur happened next door to us, and we have witnessed firsthand the complete absence of interest let alone political will of the central government, in bringing peace in NE India, especially in the tribal belts. However, the PM makes claims that the central government has saved Manipur from its prolonged ethnic strife. Such statements are illogical and it undermines the untold suffering of the people in Manipur. The deliberate shutdown of internet by the state government is a sign that, freedom of speech is eroding and dictatorship is thriving.
The punitive action of the Union Home Ministry is on display in how it has crackdown many foreign funded organizations that has hold Government accountable to the people and the democratic values as enshrined in the Constitution; or of those that works for minorities, the marginalized, by revoking their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license. This year itself, the FCRA of organizations such as World Vision and public policy think tank like Center for Policy Research were cancelled. All these are precedents of intolerance and motive of a coercive government.
The recent arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is nothing less than a political harassment. It simply shows that if you fall in line with the present government, you are exempted, but if you opposed it, the ED is unleashed against individuals and lands up in jail.
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision on the suspension of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) in the Indo-Myanmar border is another big concern. In the pretext of curbing the influx of illegal immigrants after the conflict in Manipur, the BJP government used the crisis as a pretext to suspend the age-old practice of traditional communities who have historically lived with co-existential relationship along and across the borders.
It appears that the present Central Government is all set to create division and separation of Nagas who are living across borders. First, they came with Look East Policy, second they introduced Act East Policy, and now they are implementing Fence East Policy by suspending the FMR. The recent extension of the Disturbed Area Act (DAA) in 21 PS within Nagaland is a continual expression of India’s bigoted political will in Nagaland.
India is at the crossroads and what will decide the course of India’s future at this critical juncture is by voting for the right person and party. It is a requisite for us to take a stand and act. It is our duty as citizens to take a stand by showing our displeasure against any corrupted government and institutions that are inciting riots and vandalism across the country. It is our inherent moral right to fearlessly choose who can represent us holistically.
BJP’s honeymoon with Nagas seems to be just beginning with their alliances made with regional parties. But the coalition government (PDA) seems to be in a state of confusion; the NDPP took the slogan “NDPP for Clean Election Movement Lok Sabha Election 2024, while the deputy CM made a joke of NDPP’s slogan by directly violating the democratic rules of voting in his recent speech at Wokha.
The ball is in our court, as we face the elections in just few days ahead, we will have to decide. We must decide worthy of our history. It must be informed by the conviction of our belief-system and the values on which we stand.
Nelson Mandela stated; ”I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
This present Lok Sabha election seems to be less of a political tussle, but more of an ideological clash for the survival of democracy in India. Let us vote consciously by fearing God, and exercising God given ability to choose right from wrong.
Dr. Villo Naleo
Convener, Clean Election Movement (NBCC)
