Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president and Lok Sabha candidate S Supongmeren Jamir alleged that Narendra Modi-led government had put Nagaland in a dangerous situation and cautioned that unless the people came out and voiced their opinion through the ballot, the state would face more problems like other North Eastern states.
Addressing the media at Congress Bhawan here on Monday, Supongmeren Jamir said the people of the state had given a mandate to the 60 MLAs, but the BJP had put them in a very difficult situation by allowing them to form an opposition-less government, which he claimed had also put chief minister Neiphiu Rio in a very difficult position.
“All the 60 elected members led by the 12 BJP MLA are not allowed to deliver justice to people because in a party system, high command is the highest authority.
They are all under RSS-BJP command and facing problems,” he alleged.
He pointed out that if the leaders were under the BJP’s command, the public could not expect any justice, while alleging that the BJP government had put on hold the Indo-Naga political issue with two agreements.
He said the issue was being played in such a way that there should be an opposition-less government.
Wondering who would speak for the people if there was no opposition in a democracy, he said that there was no justice for the people in an opposition less government.
He lamented that the state was in such a condition that talks about employment and entrepreneurship were relegated to the back, while welfare schemes were never delivered to people at the grassroots.
Appealing for strengthening secularism in the country, Supongmeren called for ensuring rights of the minority communities, besides upholding the interests of small states like Nagaland in Parliament. He reiterated that the Congress stood for secularism.
He said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Uniform Civil Code (UCC) were some of the main agendas of the BJP, and warned that the party would implement these in Nagaland if it was re-elected, thereby endangering the Nagas.
He stressed that the Nagas needed to show the BJP that they were not easy to be cowed down by the party’s policies during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He remarked that he was optimistic that the people would vote for the best solution of the Indo-Naga political during the elections, as they had also become wiser now.
Commenting on the ENPO issue, the NPCC president described the demand as genuine since the people there were suffering. He accused the Centre of playing the game of divide and rule in Nagaland.
“The ENPO demand is very genuine as the people there are fighting for their rights. However, the Government of India is again playing with our ENPO brothers and sisters by delaying their demands, making agreements, and commitments one after another, but never offering the solution. The Centre is trying its best to divide the Nagas,” he alleged.
He appealed to the Nagas to come forward and vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to show to the BJP-led Central government that they would not be fooled so easily by its policies.
Revealing that the official campaign of the Congress was likely to begin in Nagaland from March 26 with party’s star campaigners, Supongmeren said NPCC had sent a special invitation to Priyanka Gandhi to be present that day.