‘Frontier Naga Territory’, false BJP promise for vote: Congress

All India Congress Committee (AICC) media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera has termed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement for creation of ‘Frontier Naga Territory’ for Eastern Nagaland as “another false promise” and alleged that it was just a ploy to get votes for BJP in the ensuing Assembly election.
Addressing media persons at Congress Bhavan here on Monday, Khera said the BJP-RSS was well-known for giving false promises and “thrive on divisions, they thrive on faultlines and conflicts.” “Wherever they (RSS-BJP) go, they create conflicts, divisions and faultlines,” he said and called upon the people of Nagaland to keep them away including their collaborators like Neiphiu Rio.
He also accused the Neiphiu Rio government of being hand in glove with BJP in the latter’s malafide intent towards Nagaland and said that “such an endorsement at this stage is a brazen violation of Model Code of Conduct.”
On Naga political issue, he pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to fulfil his promise to settle the Naga issue within three months. Instead, Modi further extended AFSPA for six more months following the Oting incident in December 2021, he said.
Despite the people of Nagaland crying for ‘solution before election’, as promised by the Central leaders, Khera accused Modi and Shah of never being really bothered to hear Naga people but only “offering more lies to the people”. He asserted that as long as Rio remained chief minister, there would be no solution.
Khera accused NDPP, NPF and BJP of looting the State for the last 20 years and that it was time for people to wake up and see for themselves that money misappropriated should have been used to build roads, water supply, and other development projects. He also cited the example of the unfinished High Court complex as an example of “Rio model and Modi model.” Khera wondered with what face were they (Modi and Rio) going to the people seeking their votes.
Khera said ultimately, Rio landed up before Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the latter also filed cases against Rio’s close associates for money laundering. However, he said the matter had been put into cold storage by Modi and Shah despite knowing that Rio had serious allegations of corruption. He said BJP was with Rio in the election for the sake of power.
“They will spend about a thousand crores for buying votes and next five years loot thousands of crores,” he alleged. “The time has come for the people of Nagaland that they won’t allow NDPP- BJP government to take their trust for a ride,” he said. Khera mentioned that NDPP working president Alemtemshi Jamir’s resignation was proof that the party did not care about people’s interest and it was functioning only for monetary gain.
Further, Khera asked whether Nagas were ready to sacrifice their faith at the behest of RSS and Hindutva forces, while claiming that RSS had been running Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams in the State since the past 60 years.
He reminded Nagas that the ultimate aim of Hindutva forces was to create a Hindu nation and alleged that they were trying to abrogate Article 371 (A) to bring tribes under the larger religion, as stated by organisation secretary of RSS in Northeast, Rajesh Das.
Khera claimed that Rio had brought the BJP to Nagaland and likewise the BJP has now brought the LJP. “If together they (BJP-LJP) get more seats than NDPP, then they would want to have a BJP chief minister,” said Congress. Therefore, Khera appealed to the people of Nagaland to vote wisely to ensure that the “dark rule of Rio and Modi comes to an end.”
Khera also said that the Congress has come out with a very constructive manifesto, after wide-spread consultation with different citizen groups, intellectuals and people whose hearts beat for Nagaland.
He said that every single word written in manifesto comes from people who really think for Nagaland. “We do not believe in remote control politics. We do not believe in remote control governance the way BJP does,” he said.