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DIMAPUR — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit out at the Congress, stating that the party cannot claim to care about the Naga people after neglecting the state for decades.
Addressing a press conference in Dimapur on Wednesday morning, BJP national spokesperson and in-charge of Mizoram, Mmhonlumo Kikon said that the people of Nagaland, till today, are bearing the consequences of ‘anti-people’ policies imposed by successive Congress regimes starting from Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure.
Highlighting various policies implemented during the Congress party’s rule at the Centre, such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, and the declaration of Emergency in 1975, he said that party has historically espoused an ‘anti-people’ agenda.
The Naga people would have had a peaceful future if Indira Gandhi had not ‘manipulated’ to impose the Shillong Accord upon the Nagas, he said, adding that it was the BJP government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which recognised the ‘unique history of the Nagas’ and the need to develop the state which was neglected by previous Congress governments.
While the Congress leaders have ‘selective amnesia’, they cannot change the narrative simply because they were in the opposition for the past 10 years and talk like they have the interest of the Naga people at heart, he added.
Responding to queries on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Kikon underscored that the state is protected by Article 371 (A) of the Constitution which states that no act of Parliament can apply to Nagaland without the approval of the state's legislative assembly.
Besides, the present state government has already submitted a resolution on keeping the state and other tribal states in the north-east region outside the purview of the UCC, he maintained.
The BJP spokesperson also said that the removal of Free Movement Regime (FMR) and fencing of the Indo-Naga border was necessitated as certain regulations had to be implemented in order to curb drug and arms trade in the region.
Maintaining that India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ would ensure that the communities in the border regions are not divided, he said that the new Ambassador-designate to Myanmar had recently visited Assam and Nagaland to consult with the respective chief ministers so that their voices are also considered in the policy.
Regarding assertions made by the Congress during its campaign in the state, Kikon said that the party was making “baseless allegations”, as they have no agenda to put up.
The BJP is a ‘pro-development’ party which puts the nation first, and “only those who are against development in Nagaland will support Congress”, he added.