Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 19
EVEN as the BJP in Nagaland – visibly buoyed by the turn of things at the Centre – continues its process of resurrection in full throttle, it has once again sought to underscore its secular nature and has insisted that it is not “anti-Christian.”
Addressing a news conference here today in Dimapur, the president of BJP, Nagaland Unit, M Chuba Ao told reporters that the notion of BJP as an “anti-Christian” party was a propaganda of “parties opposed to BJP.”
“This kind of propaganda has convinced a sect of Christians because of some past incidents in Hindu heartlands by some people who holds extreme view,” said the president.
He sought to distance the party from those “who holds extreme view” by reasoning that “it is unfair to put blame on all because of few people. In any religion, there are sects of both extremists and liberals/moderates.”
Chuba pointed out that Nagaland is a Christian majority state. “We are free to practice our religion in our own land. We need not worry that we will be forced, in our own land, to practice something against our faith/belief.”
The only catch, he said, was that we have to practice the “principle of free from meddling in each other’s affairs” in order to maintain religious harmony. “BJP is only opposed to force(d) conversion or conversion through appeasement and/or inducement.”
Naga political talks
On the Indo-Naga political dialogue, Chuba maintained that the previous coalition government of the UPA owes an apology to the Nagas for its failure to “logically conclude” the parleys with the NSCN-IM during its ten years reign.
“Unlike the UPA government, NDA government will not allow policy paralysis in Naga political issue,” he claimed while adding that the latter’s policy was to take a time-bound approach to all issues of national importance.
At the same time, he said, the BJP was aware that piece-meal solution would not bring permanent peace in Nagaland. It would rather compound the problem and complicate the issue, Chuba said.
The state BJP could act as a bridge between the Center and the Naga political groups, he suggested. “But they must first spell-out their agenda.”
State’s economy
To arrest the increasingly worsening health of the state’s economy, the BJP Nagaland has suggested that the state government should focus more on introducing “stereotypical plan budget preparation and presentation.”
“We have to improve our revenue generation from new ventures and not only from widening the tax net or over-taxing the people,” Chuba said while pointing out that “multiple taxations” have hijacked the process of development in Nagaland.
While underlining the NDA’s “commitment and will to develop” the Northeast region, he said that the state government should take advantage of such open-minded policy of the NDA.
Foothill Road
“The urgency of completing the foothill road has become even more pressing with the ongoing volatile border situation. The state government should create an environment by resolving all contentious issues amicably at the earliest for speedy completion of the ongoing project,” Chuba shared.
The foothill road would go a long way in removing the problems faced by Nagas from frequent border rows, bandhs and economic blockades, he added.
Prior to the press meet, the BJP Nagaland Unit had conducted its executive meeting in which it adopted, in principle, numerous resolutions covering the political as well as economic spheres of Nagaland.
