‘Secular forces will safeguard Naga people,’ says Cong-NPF

Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, April 6 (EMN): Rallying the Congress candidate for Nagaland’s Lok Sabha seat, leaders of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the Nagaland unit of the Indian National Congress have declared that the two secular forces joined hands ‘not for personal and political party interest but to save Nagaland.’
The NPF and the Congress conducted a joint rally for INC candidate KL Chishi, on April 6 in Ungma village in Mokokchung district.

Issues such as the Citizenship Bill, Uniform Civil Code and the ‘threat to secularism to make India into a Hindu republic’ have become a threat to the Nagas, Chishi said in his address. He asserted that the forthcoming election was all about ‘whether to save the Naga people or not.’

‘I stand before you… as a secular candidate to seek your mandate, love and blessing so that if you give me the chance to be the member in the Lok Sabha, I promise and pledge to stand for the cause of the Nagas to defend and protect the Nagas from all danger ahead of us under BJP-RSS rule in the country,” he said.

Dr SC Jamir, former governor of Odisha, addressed the event. Today in India, he said, all secular fronts comprising secular parties are in a battle against the BJP ‘because India comprises diverse races and are all Indian citizens.’ He asserted that the Congress has ruled the country on the ‘principles of equality.’

The veteran Congressman also observed that during the past five years, India has been ‘on the brink of destruction because of the ‘one religion, one race’ agenda.

In this connection, he said, the Congress and likeminded political parties have united to ‘safeguard the people, and unite the country as one nation.’ In Nagaland too, he said, the NPF and the Congress forged a partnership to support the INC candidate to ‘safeguard the Naga identity.’

The former chief minister stated that other forces were trying to destroy these identities.
“If any party or government wants to destroy the Naga identity, can we accept that political party or government,” he queried.

“We won’t be sold for money or power,” he asserted.
Further, opposition leader TR Zeliang lamented that the entire Northeast states were in conflict ‘because the BJP did not listen to the sentiment of the people and passed the Citizenship Bill in the Lok Sabha.’ He asserted that the Congress’ manifesto has assured to review the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

K Therie, the president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, announced that the united front of the two rival political parties in the state, the Congress and the NPF, was ‘because of secular stand, Citizenship Bill and the Naga political issue.’

The Congress leader stated: “I am confident that by May end, Rahul Gandhi will become the prime minister of India and we will see that we will bring a governor who understands the feeling, the mind and the aspiration of the people of Nagaland. We will install a likeminded government led by NPF. That is our assurance and commitment given to the people.”