Agartala, Oct. 18 (IANS): The Congress is determined to protect the customs, culture, traditional lifestyle, language besides the distinct identity of various ethnic groups and indigenous people in the northeast region as the BJP has evil designs to destroy them, AICC General Secretary Luizinho Faleiro said on Friday.
Faleiro, who came to Tripura 25 days after state party President Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman resigned from the post and quit the party, held a series of meetings with senior party leaders and different wings to choose a new state party chief and to further strengthen the party organisation.
"Northeast region of India comprising eight states has diverse culture and traditions with hundreds of ethnic groups among the tribals and people with diverse religion. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has evil designs to destroy the ethnic unity and traditions for their narrow political gains," Faleiro told the media.
He said: "In the name of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), the BJP to obtain political and electoral mileage, is forcefully imposing the ideology and plan of the saffron party among the people of northeast India. We are firm to resist the evil designs of the BJP and the party led government at the centre."
Faleiro said that the previous Congress governments and the party leadership has always been sensitive, sympathetic and supportive to the cause of the people of northeast India.
"The BJP led government's 'One Nation - One Language' proposed policy would be a dangerous proposition for the unity and integrity of the people of northeast India. The Congress is firm to thwart any kind of move to alienate northeast India and its people from India's century old universal tradition, culture and unity and diversity system."
He said that the Congress has chalked out a countrywide programme to celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who according to Faleiro after signing many historic accords in Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland established peace and stability in the northeastern region.
"The central governments led by former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had given many special packages, schemes, policies for the development of the northeast region. All the northeastern states had accorded special category status and for all central schemes and projects funding was 90:10 ratio - 90 per cent of the total cost of any schemes and projects comes from centre and remaining 10 per cent borne by the concerned state," the Congress leader added.
Faleiro said that the Congress would give legal assistance to the distressed people lodged in Assam's detention camps as illegal foreigners.
