Union minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday informed that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had opted to campaign in ENPO area as he felt that the Eastern Nagaland people were facing the most hardship.
During PM’s scheduled visit to Tuensang on February 22, Rijiju said Modi himself would announce what he could offer the Eastern Naga people.
It may be pointed out that the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) had warned that the people of the region would boycott the 2018 elections if their demand for a separate state, curving out from Nagaland, was not fulfilled by the Centre before the state general election.
Modi’s visit to poll-bound Nagaland will be significant as it would not only add thrust to the NDPP-BJP alliance, but the Nagas in general, who expect to hear something concrete on the framework agreement.
Addressing BJP’s election rallies at Longleng and Alongtaki, Rijiju launched a scathing attack on rival political parties for harping only on religious line and not development.
Rijiju asserted that rival political parties had nothing to point out against BJP since they knew that the party had deliver on the development front. The only thing they harp on was that BJP was anti-Christian, which was a lie, he stressed.
Delivering his speech in Nagamese, Rijiu reminded the people that as everyone was a Christian in Nagaland, it would be governed only by Nagas who were Christians.
According to him, spreading lies and misleading the people were not right. “I am a God fearing person. Everyone is equal in God’s eyes and He is supreme,” he said.
Cautioning that using God’s name in order to make someone an MLA or grab power was a sin, the MoS said God was above all and no one should use His name for selfish gains.
In a democratic setup, electoral politics was all about ushering in development and serving the people with a clean and transparent government, not on religious lines, he added.
Rijiju, who is BJP’s election in-charge of Nagaland and has been campaigning across the length and breadth of the State, affirmed that his party was contesting the forthcoming Assembly election primarily to solve the decades-old Naga issue so that every Naga could lead a secure, peaceful and progressive life.
“It is our commitment to the people that once NDPP-BJP alliance forms the government in Nagaland, every nook and corner of the State will witness development,” he said.
When the rest of India was progressing, there was no reason why Nagas should lag behind, he asserted. “We are contesting this election not for anything else but to ensure that Nagas have a better future,” the minister added.
At Alongtaki, the MoS said the constituency had earlier elected a BJP candidate and appealed to the voters to once again elect the party’s candidate for ushering in development and progress. He reiterated that the BJP government under Modi had a special concern for the Nagas.
Rijiju said when election was declared, every political party, including NPF and NNDP, wanted to have an alliance with BJP. He clarified that if BJP was really hungry for power, then it would have contested from all 60 constituencies on its own. However, taking into consideration the future and aspirations of the Naga people, BJP decided to have an alliance with a regional party, he explained.
According to the minister, BJP leadership met in Delhi and decided that the party would go for an alliance with a regional party as Nagaland was a “sensitive” State, its problem “unique” and political negotiations were on.
Rijiju was accompanied by State BJP president Visasolie Lhoungu and BJP election management convener M Chuba Ao.
Sunday, May 3, 2026