Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has accused BJP of using government agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), police, etc, against political opponents in the country.
Addressing the media her at Congress Bhavan Monday, NPCC president K Therie said the government agencies were being misused and had become political tools.
After BJP came to power, he said the party had been pursuing vendetta politics against its opponents, as almost all politicians in the country raising their voice against injustice, standing for the constitution and speaking for the people had been brought under the radar of ED, CBI, NIA, etc. “In the past eight years of Narendra Modi’s rule, the government agencies have become political tools that had never happened during Congress rule,” he added.
On the summoning of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the National Herald case, he maintained that there was no exchange of money, apart from exchange of transfer of shares to shareholders.
Terming the summon as a political vendetta, he claimed that Rahul was the only leader who had been openly asking Modi questions, which the latter had failed to respond. He warned that if the citizens continued to live under such leaders, the country would not be able to progress.
Therie further wondered what had happened to the CBI investigation with regard to construction of Nagaland High Court complex and the case regarding Enforcement Directorate where five individuals had been summoned in connection with money laundering.
He said a memorandum was submitted to the President of India through governor demanding that the Centre be restrained from using government agencies against BJP’s political opponents.
Referring to the 2002 Gujarat riots that followed burning of a train at Godhra, Therie maintained that the then Gujarat chief minister and now Prime Minister Modi had asked his police to allow Hindus unleash their anger, whereby the riots took place where over 700 Muslims were massacred.
He said a senior police officer had filed an affidavit at Supreme Court alleging that he attended the meeting where Modi had asked senior police officers to allow Hindus to ventilate their anger.
He claimed that Congress government at the Centre then had only allowed law to take its own course, adding that the chief minister, home minister and officers responsible would have been booked and the Gujarat government dismissed on the same day if Congress had used the government agencies then.
Noting that protesters destroying properties had become a regular affair in the country due to provocations from BJP, the NPCC chief alleged that church, mosques and private houses were being demolished under the party leaders’ supervision.
He said the government machineries were being used in creating religious divide in the country, inviting condemnation from other countries.
Meanwhile, AICC secretary and in-charge of Nagaland Ranajit Mukherjee, who too was present at the press conference, referred to the pending ED cases in Nagaland and demanded a thorough CBI probe into Nagaland High Court complex case.
On Rahul Gandhi being summoned by ED, he said that the Modi government was so scared of Gandhi that it did not even allow Congress leaders to walk with him to the ED office.
A memorandum was submitted to the President of India through Nagaland Governor by NPCC working president Khriedi Theunuo.
NPCC hopeful of having MLAs in next election
Meanwhile, speaking with Nagaland Post, Therie said NPCC was hopeful of having elected representatives in the next Nagaland Legislative Assembly. He also confirmed that he would contest in the next Assembly election.
Asked if Congress was open to any alliance, he remarked that it all depended on the principles and ideologies of the party concerned. “Whoever subscribes to the ideology of secularism, we don’t mind working with them,” he asserted.
He said NPCC would be fielding candidates in all 60 Assembly constituencies, unless there was an alliance with any party. Depending on the availability of candidates, he mentioned that the party would field 50% candidates below 50 years, men or women.
Stating that it was too early to talk about any electoral alliance, AICC secretary Mukherjee added that Congress was now getting ready for the Assembly elections next year. He said NPCC would talk to parties opposed to North East Democratic Alliance.