Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear friends

February 2014

Of late, in Indian politics, we have seen a nexus between politicians and militants. In the North Eastern Region such allegations were made on different political parties time and again. In Assam, it was the AGP which was blamed for having a nexus with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) which was later proved to be true. In Manipur, militants were found at the residents of ministers. Recently, the Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma has been alleged to have links with ANVC-B militants. First it was Mr. P A Sangma of the NPP who, at a press conference said that Dr. Mukul Sangma is the common Chairman of all militant outfits of the Garo Hills, which was immediately refuted by Dr. Mukul Sangma who said that Mr. P A Sangma is in the habit of making such statements especially when elections come around. The other opposition party of Meghalaya i.e. United Democratic Party (UDP) has also pursued the matter and made a presentation before the President of India. The matter is being pursued by the opposition party of Meghalaya precisely keeping in mind the coming Lok Sabha elections. The allegation has been examined by our Sumar Sing Sawain who has done a critical analysis of the issue. We have also carried an article on simplicity of Indian politics. The recent upsurge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headed by Mr. Arvind Kejriwal has set a new trend in Indian politics. The national electronic media perhaps gave much space to Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and company for his simplicity. He was not the first who has demonstrated simplicity in politics. We have in North Eastern Region a Chief Minister by the name of Mr. Manik Sarkar who donates his entire salary to his political party and survives with a subsistence allowance of `5000/- per month which his party gives to him. He has been preaching simplicity from the day he entered politics and is doing so even today as he is serving his third term as the Chief Minister of Tripura.

The Chief Minister Mr. Manik Sarkar is a very humble man. Once I had the opportunity to visit Agartala and I gave him a call for an exclusive interview which he granted me instantly. His wife who is an active social worker can be regularly spotted on board a rickshaw in Agartala as she does her daily shopping by herself.
Prior to independence, simplicity was the key word. Mahatma Gandhi with his dhoti and danda has touched the life of Indians and played an instrumental role in ousting the British from India. The present experiment of Mr. Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi hence has had a huge impact in the political climate of the country. For one, the otherwise high profile Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje Sindhia was recently seen sipping a cup of tea at a road side vendor. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal is yet another lady, who is simple and down to earth. Similarly Mr. Manohar Parikar also reflects the Aam Admi aura. The issue is important and we have brought out a very special issue taking into consideration the simplicity of some Chief Ministers which if practiced more widely can help the common man and strengthen the fabric of Indian democracy.

Dr. K. K. Jhunjhunwala