Five states, across the country, are going to elections this month. But here’s an interesting fact: Conduct a poll right now and you may well discover that not many among us can name the fifth poll-bound state, which is Mizoram, one of the seven states in the Northeast. Animated media discussions — and there is no dearth of them in this election season — are revolving around the politically charged four states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.
Barring stray mentions, the Mizoram polls have barely figured in the national media. Unfortunately, the silence can’t be brushed aside as mere oversight. The elimination of Mizoram polls from national media discussions is symptomatic of a larger systemic disorder. Consider the paradox that notwithstanding the loud and repeated reiteration of commitment to a ‘diverse India’, our political class as well as people in general, have remained indifferent to the Northeastern region. Further compounding this lack of interest or curiosity is the widespread public ignorance about the Northeast, its people, their society and culture. The Northeast has been reduced to nothing but a blip on our national consciousness. Assam is the only one among the neglected seven sisters, which manages to find space in media coverage on a regular basis.
With less than a fortnight to go before the Mizoram polls, we know virtually nothing about the political/electoral dynamic of the state. We know very little about how the state has performed over the last five years; what the aspirations of its people are, whether they have been met by the ruling dispensation, etc. In stark contrast, most of these concerns — and many more — are elaborated at great length and discussed threadbare vis-à-vis the other four states, in the media. Mizoram hasn’t even managed to make its presence known in the electoral discourse.
Cynics, of course, would argue that regrettable though it is, this silence is in consonance with the overall callousness towards the Northeastern region. Recall the protracted economic blockade called by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee and a counter blockade by the United Naga Council in 2011, which crippled Manipur. While the hospitals reeled under acute shortage of supply of medicines, prices of petrol, diesel and LPG skyrocketed. The prolonged scarcity of essential supplies created a humanitarian crisis. Not surprisingly, the crisis escaped the attention of the national media which took note of it only when the unfolding events had precipitated to a point of a total breakdown of life.
Or consider this: Irom Sharmila’s hunger strike in Manipur entered its 14th year this November 15. The 41-year-old has been on a fast in Manipur’s capital Imphal, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state, following the cold blooded killing of 10 people by the Assam Rifles in her state. That Sharmila’s prolonged fast in a corner of India has failed to jolt either the political establishment or the national conscience, is further reflection of the continued isolation of the Northeast. The list of such disturbing incidents is indeed long. While Gujarat’s fake encounter cases are minutely dissected, such illegalities random in Manipur, have seldom hogged the headlines in mainstream media. Recently, the National Human Rights Commission, after conducting hearings of complaints filed by victims of fake encounters, said that 20 of the 44 cases were fake. Given the depth and extent of this national indifference, the sense of alienation among Northeasterners is hardly surprising.