Despite NaMo pitch NE voters pitch for Cong AAP

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a huge pitch to woo voters in the North East and asked his Ministers to tour the states, but BJP’s CM candidate Kiran Bedi has been unable to woo the young voters from North East who expect security assurances from the new government in Delhi.

With safety of women and action against racism in mind, scores of people from the Northeast got themselves registered as voters in Delhi so that their vote would make a difference, no matter how short in number they are.

People from the eight NE states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim, who have settled here for better education and job opportunities, said it was time political parties took concrete steps to address their grievances concerning lack of adequate security and rising instances of racial abuse.

Most of them said Congress still holds their support for being “non-communal” whereas some student communities seemed excited about Aam Aadmi Party. However, a few also chanted slogans for BJP, as the party is coming up with innovative ideas to woo youths.

Whoever comes to power, the new government, they hope, will act against racism, generate jobs and create more educational institutions.

There are close to 18,000 registered voters from North East in Delhi.

For Naga Students Union (Delhi) President J Maivio, racial discrimination against Northeasterners is one key area that the new government should lay emphasis on.

“Officially, we are a 16,000-member family. But, there are around 7,000 Naga voters here who will vote for a better Delhi.”

Maivio, who has been living in Delhi since 2005, said though the government has worked for women safety, it should come up with more strict laws to stop the crime entirely. “Kiren Rijiju (MoS Home) announced initiatives to tackle the crime, but it still it’s not helpful. They have to come up with more strict laws.”

Abhijit Hazarika, who is the general secretary of Assam Association Delhi, feels the other way. “We stay here peacefully and have not faced any racial discrimination yet. Our members have never complained of such incidents.”

However, Hazarika said woman safety is a concern in Delhi and a strong law should be there to punish the guilty.

Assam Association Delhi has around 1,500 members, out of which 95% are from Assam and are registered voters here.

“We have seen lots of changes in Delhi in the last few years. Earlier NE people were called ‘chinkis’ – a term used for people belonging to North East. But, we no longer have to face this,” Sureng Rajkonwar, who has been living in Delhi for the last 14 years, said.

For Sureng, Delhi has been his own city and his second home. “I don’t feel any difference as I take this city as my own. It depends on how you approach a person. May be, Bengalis and Assamese staying here are less prone to racial discrimination than the people from other parts of North East.”

Sureng further added he desperately wanted a change. He said: “Change in auto fare is a must. Auto drivers should abide by metres and should charge accordingly.”

He also urged that the government should fix metre readings for electricity bills. “Metre readings differ place to place. Some area charges Rs 9 per unit while some other charges Rs 7.5 or Rs 8 per unit. This thing should be fixed.”

On being asked about racial discrimination on NE people, he said, though Congress took a few measures to stop racial discrimination and safety for women, but all in vain. “There should be more than one emergency number for women which should connect at a go. Rather, it should be a 24×7 hotline number,” he added.

A safe Delhi for women has been one of the agendas for all the people living here. However, racism against people from North East is also on the cards.

The capital not only accounted for the highest number of crimes against people of Northeastern origin over the last three years, but also reported an over 226% increase in such crimes in the past one year.

According to data presented by Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju, in reply to a Lok Sabha question on Dec 16, 232 cases were registered in Delhi until October 31 last year by citizens from Northeastern states, up from 71 in the whole of 2013 and 55 in 2012.

In contrast, Bengaluru saw seven such cases being filed till October last year, up from four in 2013, but much lower than 18 cases filed in 2012.

NCR witnessed seven complaints of crimes against Northeastern citizens until November 23 last year, as against nil in 2013 and two in 2012.

“As being from NE, I want a safer Delhi for girls. Yes, I know there are issues bigger than girl’s safety but, what use is of a state which cannot protect almost half of its population i.e. women,” a girl, on condition of anonymity, said.

“Northeasterners come to Delhi to study and work. But girls never feel safe in the capital. I want the new govt to focus on the safety and security of girls,” she added.

For Ranaditya Baruah, who came here from Dibrugarh, said the VIP culture irks him the most. “On top of my mind, I would say, I expect an end to this ubiquitous VIP culture in Delhi.  I don’t like VIP attitude of politicians here. Politicians are servants of the janta, and they should behave like that.”

“Plus, I expect cheaper water and electricity and most importantly, safer Delhi for women,” he added.

However, Bhaswati Talukdar feels accommodations for working women (non-localites) should be made easier and hassle-free

“Accommodation is a major concern for us. Some working women hostels would be much welcome. Besides, for security purposes, I think working hours could be adjusted as per the season. Also, people here need to be educated so as to break the prevailing stereotypes,” Bhaswati, who works here with a private company, said.

The Election Commission of India on January 12 announced the dates for the Assembly elections. The national capital will cast its vote on February 7 and the counting of votes will be done on February 10.

Former Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath had announced Delhi, with an electorate of about 1.30 crore, will have 11,763 polling stations across 70 constituencies in the National Capital Territory (NCT).