[ Bengia Ajum ]
Recently, the president of the All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA), Byabang Joram, while levelling a series of corruption allegations against the state government in general and Chief Minister Pema Khandu in particular, claimed that, as the opposition parties have failed to raise any question to the alleged misdeeds of the ruling party, the ANYA is playing the role of opposition.
While the allegation levelled by the ANYA is subject to legal scrutiny, the claim that the opposition parties have failed to play their role in holding the government accountable is somewhat true.
Not only the opposition parties, but other important players, like the media, civil society bodies and students’ organizations have also failed to hold the government accountable for bad governance. The Pema Khandu-led BJP government is having a smooth sailing. Barring the anti-PRC riots which rocked the government, during the major part of the tenure of Khandu, his government has been treated with kid gloves by the opposition, the media and the civil society. There is a reason why it is happening. Ultimately, the ball comes back to the court of the people.
In a democracy, the opposition parties take up issues and hold the government accountable. In return, they expect people to support them and also elect them. But unfortunately, in Arunachal Pradesh, it is money and power which get people elected. The voters forget all the issues when election comes and vote for the ruling party and those who splash money on them. The people do not vote based on leadership quality, development agenda and party ideology. This practice is going on since Arunachal became a state. The opposition parties, therefore, see more benefit in maintaining neutrality and avoiding criticizing the government, unless the situation is too bad. Since the establishment of the state, the opposition leaders have always found it difficult to survive.
The media is still growing in the state, and it is still not in a position to be fiercely independent. Lack of private revenue makes the media totally dependent on government advertisements for survival. There is a lack of support from civil society bodies too.
Once considered the most powerful bodies that often effectively played the role of principal opposition, the student organizations of the state are also slowly losing their influence. The government and the public used to bestow respect as well as reverence on them. But things have changed. It is becoming very expensive to get elected to student organizations.
During the elections of noted student organizations like the AAPSU, the ANSU, etc, crores of rupees are involved. Quite naturally, after winning elections, the leaders get busy earning and recovering the investment. This is only possible through government contract works. Therefore, the students’ bodies also are left with no choice but to develop a working relationship with the government. Even the government officials and social workers who stand up for the right causes are wary of the prevailing circumstances in the state.
Considering the abovementioned points, ultimately it boils down to the public. If the people want, the opposition, the media and the students’ bodies can still play an effective role in ensuring check and balance. During the recent anti-farm laws protests, the farmers managed to force an arrogant prime minister like Narendra Modi to bend and repeal the laws. Despite the government’s making every effort to try to dilute the protests, the unity shown by ordinary citizens and farmers forced the government to retreat. This is the power of the aam janta.
