The BJP and its allies’ victory in Nagaland and Tripura reflects the changing dynamics of Indian politics, which has transcended from “the language of appeasement” to “the actionable intent of development”. Northeast had been historically marginalised and less celebrated for its contributions to India. Its unique identities, cultures, and struggles against colonialism have either been invisibilised or excluded from history. And the pedagogy of nationalism excluded Northeast from the national imagination itself.
But the BJP, with its inclusive policies woven around development and diversity, has been gradually bridging the gap that existed between the so-called “mainland” and the “Northeast region”. Now, people in the region truly feel they are an integral part of India, its imagination, and the narratives of nationhood. Manifestation of these processes of inclusion and BJP’s developmental approach, which are evident in the election verdict, represent a politics of cultural and developmental synthesis beyond any single region.
The BJP has not only risen as a key player but has also collaborated with the indigenous and local parties and representatives, thereby reducing the hostilities among different fractions – a co-operative centripetal force. In Tripura, the BJP won 32 seats. In Nagaland, it saw its vote share increase from 15.31 percent to 18.8 percent. Though the BJP previously ruled Meghalaya in alliance with the National People’s Party (NPP), this election they contested separately. The BJP won two important seats in the state. This steady rise of the BJP can be attributed to policies like Transformation by Transportation, Northeast Region Textile Promotion Scheme for eri silk farming and Digital Northeast Vision 2022. For a rapid and holistic development of the Northeast, the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative scheme was launched to boost infrastructure and social development projects to boost livelihood activities for the youth and women.
A major area of BJP’s strength lies in cultural cohesiveness, which other political parties lack. Culture is often relegated to the non-State actors and civil society by the liberal class, but has brought a positive turn of events for the “Right”. They are effective in bringing the question of identities and cultures into the domain of politics. Under the BJP-led union government, there have been initiatives that celebrate cultural diversity, especially in the capital city where space was carved out to celebrate the contribution of unsung heroes from the Northeast region and to represent their culture, identities, and historical struggle in the making of India. This expression and cultural policies further bridged the gap between the so-called mainland and the Northeastern people.
How the change came about
Self-respect and dignity are important aspects of any cultural or social life and are achieved only when a nation recognises the people, their heroes, and the stories of valour from its diverse regions. In November 2022, the celebration of stories of triumph and courage of Lachit Barphukan echoed the streets of Delhi. The vibrancy, history and achievements in the Northeast are being given due recognition by the BJP. This campaign focused its discourse on development in the region. The BJP could not only understand the importance of various cultures and ethnicities but also the importance of development that often attracts the youths. The rail and road links to the state of Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura was a watershed moment for the development of the region as it allowed people to move beyond their states. In the manifesto released by the BJP in Nagaland, the main focus was on development policies with special provisions for the needs of the poor and elderly population and to work towards peace-building and reconciliation.
Northeast states represent the uniqueness in history of struggle against colonialism, in their cultural development and political fragility, which until recently was probably recognised but not reckoned with and no steps were taken for its preservation. The BJP manifesto promised that they will bring special provisions for the preservation of uniqueness of not only the states but also of various tribal groups and their cultural heritages. A Nagaland Cultural Research Fund with Rs 1,000 crore corpus will be created. Further, to preserve Naga identity and culture, a cultural university and other such policies were put forward in the election campaign.
The traditional approach of the BJP towards women is incredibly successful. The party has witnessed the rise of many powerful women leaders. In that sense, the BJP has been successful in bringing Nari Shakti to the forefront of the leadership. The slogan of Nari Shakti has shown its fruits in this election. Women emerged as a major voting constituency compared to men. Under the BJP-NDPP alliance, Nagaland found its first female leadership. NDPP’s two women candidates — Hekani Jakhalu and Salhoutuono Kruse — won the election, a first for Nagaland and a result of the BJP’s proactive and long campaign. Under its manifesto, the BJP had declared several initiatives for women empowerment.
An interesting aspect seen in this election was the rise of people’s political aspirations beyond the narrow ideological politics of divisiveness that was reproduced in the past for vote bank politics. The political past of the region was filled with insecurities of the future, which those in power capitalised on to shape a politics of divisiveness. But these insecurities were largely cured with better infrastructure, peace and stability under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government. ‘The rise of the Right’ in the Northeast must be seen as a victory of the people, and the importance of identities, cultures, diversity and above all the politics of development. People from the Northeast can now take pride in being Indians, bereaved of the detrimental influence of racial discrimination and historical voidness. Now, the BJP shows governance par excellence and not just the narrow conceptions of vote bank politics and the cycle of uncertain future that Northeast was trapped in. As the region where the Tricolour was hoisted for the very first time and as the region with the first sunshine of the day, Northeast now leads India to act east.
The author is an assistant professor of sociology at Lakshmibai College, Delhi University. She tweets @AditiNarayani. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)