“I have a natural connection with the Nagas”, stated Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju while interacting with civil society at the Multipurpose Cultural Complex, Ungma, Mokokchung on Tuesday.
Rijiju was on a brief visit to Mokokchung to celebrate One year of NDA Government with the BJP Mokokchung district members and also to review the security scenario.
Rijiju said that the purpose of his brief visit was to implement the NDA government’s “commitment to ensure a peaceful Nagaland, a proud and prosperous Nagaland”.
He went on to add, “for the future of the Nagas, we have to ensure that to realize our dreams to fulfil our objectives, we must secure peace”.
The minister said, in terms of regional aspirations, the Government of India normally took care of the north east region with various programmes and policies.
He however said that one of the key missing part was “the deep understanding of the issues and the problems of the north east region and its people’. Rijiju reiterated that mere economic and financial packages were not enough.
In this, he said the “Look East Policy was not enough without action” and so, the present government under prime minister Narendra converted it to “Act East Policy” backed by complete action on the ground.
The minister said the ‘Act East Policy’ of the Modi government will convert the North Eastern region into an economic and cultural hub of India, in trade relation to East Asian countries. “We are also an important part of this Nation’, he said.
He said earlier, the region used to be treated as a fringe region and was never part of India’s integral part of bigger polity and a region bestowed with special status, totally dependent on the Centre.
The minister said the Modi government has changed that approach by adopting a practical approach to understand the region and to bridge the gap of understanding with the grassroot level so as to develop the region to be at par with the rest of the nation.
Rijiju asserted that the region was blessed with enormous economic potential and natural resources, accompanied by human talent and with rich mosaic of cultures. “But we need peace and a conducive environment for the development of the land and offer security of life” he said.
Rijiju, appealed to the north eastern people to “come to the table and democratically sort out differences”, instead of choosing the path of violence which only begets violence and taken a heavy toll “of our own people”.
He said inflicting violence “in our land is harming our people and our region. I believe in vocal power not muscle power”.
Rijiju also took a swipe at the successive Congress regimes in New Delhi and said that for the last 68 years the government had failed to understand the core issues and feelings of the people of the Northeast people while formulating policies. “This was one reason which had alienated the people of the region. Taking this into consideration, the present government has taken a step forward to understand the people from the grass-root level so that every section of the society can be benefited,” he said.
“My first priority is for the dignity and honour of the people of the north eastern people and to assure their safety in the different metropolitan cities of the country” he said. He added that the Modi-led NDA government was striving to undertake positive measures and initiatives to expose yet protect the geography, traditions, cultures, stories and the people of the North Eastern region to the brothers and sisters of India.
Earlier, welcome address was delivered by Limawati, president BJP Mokokchung Division while the function was chaired by Imlisongla Imsong, president Kisan Morcha, BJP Mkg District. Later, the minister had a closed- door security briefing with the IGAR (N) and interacted with troops of 31 Assam Rifles.
Naqvi’s comment on cow slaughter ‘not palatable’
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday described the statement recently made by Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on cow slaughter as “not palatable”.
Addressing a press conference after arriving in Aizawl for a two-day maiden visit after becoming Union Minister, Rijiju said that while states having Hindu majority could enact legislation banning cow slaughter, it could not be imposed on North Eastern states where majority of the people are eating beef.
Terming the recent statement of Naqvi as “not good”, he, however, said that the Minister was using his freedom of speech and expression.
He said that the cultures, traditions, habits and sentiments of all the people in the country should be respected and honoured.