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The pity of prime ministership
The plight of the BJP Prime Minister is surely less enviable than that of Herod Antipas of Bible fame. In exchange for an enchanting dance, Herod's step-daughter Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king had to yield to her irresistible pressure -- with serious consequences. Now, Atal Behari Vajpayee will have two enchantresses on his southern and north-eastern sides demanding two separate heads for the political dance they are about to perform for him.
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North Block's havenot
A fine opportunity is at hand for the new government to correct a dangerous and foolish subversion perpetrated by successive governments. This refers to the systematic emaciation of the once all-powerful Ministry of Home Affairs which, in better days, boasted a Sardar Patel at its helm. That was a long time ago. During Indira Gandhi's tenure, North Block fell upon ill days as her obsessive need to corner power saw its progressive sidelining and divestment.
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A grand deception in Kohima
The Jamir ministry has been sworn in, despite protest from the Naga Hoho and host of Naga NGOs to the Governor that a `proxy government' should not be installed following a farcical `forcibly imposed' election. This facade of protest from the NSCN (I-M) tries to cover up a diabolical strategy of deception and procrastination by Thuingaleng Muivah and Issac Chisi Swu, who allured the Congress to get 43 MLAs elected to Nagaland assembly unopposed.
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The myth of unconcern
Preliminary assessments and analysis of the election results have rearticulated the more recent orthodoxies about the nature of Indian politics, namely, that the Indian voter has become cynical and sceptical and has therefore not voted in sufficient numbers. Collectively, he does not vote on a perception of India's long-term interests. Nor is he animated by a creative vision about the future of India. He decides essentially on the basis of his local concerns and ethno-linguistic, religious and caste considerations.
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