Government Advertising-Overdue Reforms

November 26, 1977 have many lessons to offer, mainly to the Congress and the Janata party. The ill-conceived attempt of the Congress to gain entry into Nagaland by absorbing an existing political organisation has not merely not helped the party, but has weakened the NNO itself and has Severely strained the possibility of the emergence of a two- party system in the state. But the lessons for the Janata party are even more important; for, despite the experience of the Congress in Nagaland, powerful elements in the Janata party continued their attempts either to absorb the UDF or to open Janata units in the state. Thus, there was the curious spectacle of George Fernandes and Nanaji Deshmukh campaigning for the UDF candidates in the recent elections even as many candidates opposing the UDF were openly claiming to be supporters of the Janata party. To say this is not to argue that the so-called 'national' parties have no role to play in Nagaland and should leave the politics of the state to the so-called 'regional' parties. But what is curious is that while the 'national' parties vie with each other to come to terms with the 'regional' parties in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, they seem reluctant to enter into similar arrangements in Nagaland where, even more than in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, the national question remains unresolved.