The recent political strokes of the FCD Min ister, Y. Erabot, in escorting scores of goods trucks personally through the blockade with only his personal security personnel and undertaking a  goodwill visit to the heart of the dissenting land areimpressive to say the least. They not only help restore some of the lost moral authority to the beleaguered Ibobi cabinet but also generate a sense of hope, hope that there is some political leadership left to look forward to by all sections of the populace. The Minister is known for his dare-devil
devotion to deliver the goods to the target populace even in the face of threats to his life. The state needs a firm leadership exemplified by this leader, not the kind that strikes backdoor deals with contesting authorities to promote a mutual co-existence between the establishment and the contesting forces. While politics may be defined as the art of the possible where there are neither permanent friends nor foes, there is but a baseline rule that does not permit sacrificing the welfare of the people at the altars of power-mongering. The sad
reality however remains that the challenge of ending the unholy nexus between the irresponsible power mongers and the anti-state forces would require more than occasional sparks of political brilliance from a senior cabinet member of a compromised establishment.


The state's integrity is not served by mere lip service. It is also clearly not served by a government which is liable to be perceived to represent only the dominant interests at the cost of the socio-economic and political spaces of the minorities. The state is in dire need of a leadership that can successfully allay the dominant ethnic community's fears of allowing legitimate decentralized administrative set ups and constitutional provisions for the protection of tribal interests. It is such fear psychosis of the majority that dictate the state policy of forcible
integration of minorities through the democratic hammer of numerical superiority in the law making body of the state, leaving the minorities fearful and distrustful of the dominant community's intent. The state's integrity is boosted by even single strokes of broad-minded leadership that help restore faith of the masses in the  impartiality of the state when the core welfare of the masses is concerned. But the moot question is whether Erabot alone can generate an era of bonding between the various ethnic groups in the face of the all too fragmented ethnic aspirations engendered by distrust and the strong hold the power brokers have in the political management of the state.

In such a situation, the constitution does empower the central government adequately to give directions to change course for the better. However, the centre-state relations in India are prisoner to the dictates of party politics. The onus thus falls on the congress party leadership to give the state a chance at restoring the old emotional bond shared between the three ethnic communities in the state by directing the state congress and the congress government to play the right political chords. This is pertinent for the only real prospects of lasting peace and development lies either in rebuilding the fractured polity or giving in to divisive aspirations
without so much as beating an eyelid. So, if the congress leadership sheds its political hypocrisy of preaching development while choosing to remain ignorant of the real hurdles to peace, a conduit for development, there certainly is a better way out than tearing the state into ethnic pieces. A beginning can perhaps be  demonstrated by daring to pick a leadership that has the heart to risk everything for welfare of the masses over shrewd political managers who have become proud pharaohs who arrogantly bull-dozed their convictions as what is best for the people.