The Naga Rising (TNR) has alleged that the recent controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a nationwide cleanliness drive on a Sunday (October 1) was the latest instance in a series of the BJP’s subtle moves to advance its “Hindu-Hindi nationalist expansionism”.
TNR in a statement said the deliberate attempt to downplay the significance of sacred days of Christians was in complete disregard for people’s sentiments in Nagaland, only creating suspicion and distrust of the Modi government. Under the direction of the Central government, TNR claimed that it had become routine to hold official events on Sundays. Only recently, it recalled that the Government of Nagaland hosted a Union minister to launch the PM Viswakarma Yojana at an event held in Kohima on a Sunday.
According to TNR, one could not and should not be blind to the multipronged strategy of the Hindutva forces within the BJP who were trying to establish a Hindu cultural hegemony. It alleged that the BJP government was pushing for laws and policies that supported its cultural expansionist agenda.
Since Modi-BJP came to power in 2014, the TNR pointed out that official documents, naming of laws and government policies and programmes were invariably in Hindi. In August this year, it pointed out that the BJP-led government had introduced three Bills in the Parliament to overhaul the criminal justice system in the country, and all of these were given Hindi names – the Indian Penal Code, 1860 was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023, the Criminal Procedure Code, 1898 was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 was replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023.
Similarly, the names of all Prime Minister schemes were in Hindi, including Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), PM Yasasvi Yojano, PM SVANidhi Yojano.
TNR wanted to know how many people in Nagaland, including the cabinet ministers, knew the meaning of the word Viswakarma in the PM Viswakarma Yojana that was recently launched in Nagaland.
It however clarified that by raising this issue, it was not saying that it was anti-Hindi, but insisted that learning Hindi language should be a matter of choice, not an imposition. Giving Hindi names for government laws and schemes was a form of Hindi imposition on those who did not know the language, it pointed out.
TNR said the Nagaland government must object to moves of the BJP-led government that disrespected Naga faith and way of life. It demanded that official documents should be in languages that people could read and understand.
The Neiphiü Rio-led government should insist that all laws, policies, central schemes or programmes must be provided with alternate English names, it demanded.
“Our silence would be read as our acceptance to legitimise the Hindutva forces. It is high time to voice out against all such attempts to establish a Hindu cultural hegemony in the guise of politics and development,” TNR stated.