The Economist: Sonia Ghandi on the Campaign Trail!

Among the Nagas. India's remote north eastern states, collectively known as the Seven Sisters, are usually paid no attention by the rest of the country, until a natural disaster, bitter warfare or some other nastiness strikes. Yet this month, many of India's most powerful political figures will tour parts of the region, offering valiant, if mangled, versions of greetings in local tribal tongues, dressing in ethnic gear and otherwise bidding for votes. Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress party, began the show on February 7th, addressing two election rallies in Nagaland. The small, hilly territory, along with nearby Meghalaya and Tripura, holds state elections this month. Congress, after two terms in opposition, would relish bouncing back into office, even if the state is so tiny, that its total population, some 1.9m, is roughly half that of Mrs Gandhi's parliamentary constituency in Utar Pradesh. After some days pottering about Nagaland, your correspondent can report on few matters with confidence. The area is remarkably beautiful: Winding roads take you through steep, forested hills, on to small villages perched on impossibly overhanging ridges. Some of these, such as the striking Khonoma village, are complete with stone stairways, cobbled roads and beautifully crafted homes, that could have served as a film set for "The Hobbit". The region is also predominantly tribal and Christian. So many American missionaries grew keen on the area, that if you toss a bible into the air, it is most likely to fall on the roof of a Baptist church. Beyond that, older Nagas talk with feeling about their decades long insurgency against the Indian state. They say they are not seeking secession, but resisting the imposition of colonial rule by India. Naga insurgents, by and large, stopped shooting in 1997 with a ceasefire, but no proper political deal has followed. Worse, much of the region, along with neighboring Manipur, and Jammu and Kashmir, is subjected to a particularly hated law, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which allows security men to act with impunity against civilians. Without a complete peace deal, spelling out autonomy for the Nagas, and the lifting of that hated AFSPA, few in Nagaland are likely to be pleased with rule by any part of the center, such as Congress.