Gaya to Gangtok: engaging with MP of North Eastern margins
After traveling for 18 hours almost non stop, on unbelievably smooth roads in Bihar and west Bengal, I reached Gangtok to interact with the Members of Parliament form North eastern states. One of our alumnus from IIMA, Mr P D Rai, now a MP from Sikkim triggered this forum of MPs from NE under the chairpersonship of to trigger collective thinking about regional problems. What an idea in bipartisan politics. MPs belonging to different parties ranging from Congress to BJP and regional outfits discussed their strategy in parliament and also outside about a holistic regional development. Why insurgents of various hues should be brought on table and dialogue started to achieve peace, so that development can follow. But many others believed that peace will follow only after the years of neglect by state and market can be overcome in a time bound manner, in north east but also perhaps elsewhere ( notwithstanding the perception of our Home Minister who sees social conflicts in isolation of prolonged injustice).
My reason for going to this meeting was different.
I had gone to share the exciting experience of Honey Bee Network and NATIONAL INNOVATION FOUNDATION in scouting and supporting grassroots innovations from all the N eastern states. Without practically any support from any central, state or regional agency, many grassroots innovator or traditional knowledge holders had made progress in their journey, albeit very small and sporadic.
It was not surprising that almost all the MPs acknowledged that they had not known about dozens of innovators who had been recognized by the honourable President of India. One of them admitted that he was quite embarrassed. When Deepak Bharali shared the design of his handloom with magnetic bobbins, several MPs were on their feet to order a few for the people in their constituency right away. A beginning was made, ice was broken, a new channel of communication got initiated with the people’s representatives. Time will tell how viable this channel is. We requested that guidelines of MP local Area Development ( MPLAD) Fund be modified so that every MP could allocate some funds to recognize, respect and reward the innovations in their constituency. Incidentally, current Prime Minister, when he was the Leader of Opposition a decade ago, had offered to initiate the dialogue with the then parliamentary affairs minister. We had written to all MPs exhorting them to recognize the creative people offering new opportunities for generating knowledge based employment in their respective areas. We also pleaded that education curriculum should include these the stories of grassroots innovators and humble achievers who have made a breakthrough against all odds. We hope that a beginning might be made now. But we don’t know, are MPs not known for making promises which they are not able to keep many times. But we should give a chance to this initiative. What is at stake, is the viability of this line of communication which is most basic in a democracy. Bureaucracy can be in indifferent and so can be markets. But people’s representatives may not be, at least that is the hope. Hopefully similar dialogues will take place closer home, at state level with MPs as well as MLAs across party lines. Don’t creative people deserve at least an empathetic ear of their representatives?
Anil K Gupta
