Dimapur, May 21 (EMN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) chief, K Therie issued a clarion call to all secular forces in the state to come together and save the state from communal forces.
In the run up to the by-election to the Lok Sabha, Therie on May 21 shared a common platform with the Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate, C Apok Jamir along with a host of other party leaders at Pfutsero and explained the reasons why and how the Congress had decided to support the NPF candidate, a press release received from the NPF Press Bureau on Monday stated.
“Our concern is to save Nagaland from communal forces, and therefore the Congress has agreed in principle to support C Apok Jamir in this 2018 Lok Sabha election,” Therie said.
“We hope he will live up to the expectations of the party to uphold the principles of secularism and liberal democracy,” he added.
Leaving aside all political differences, he said secular minded political parties must come together to defeat the imposition of Hinduism in our God-given land, stating that ‘BJP is never a political party that belonged to the Nagas but is here to confuse the mindsets of the youngsters with their Hindutva policies.’
Stating that hundreds of Naga youths were being sponsored by RSS in their schools and that some have already become ministers, he said ‘NDPP which came into existence just recently and is in unholy marriage with BJP and is not different from the BJP.’
Therie opined that Congress is a party that ‘upholds secularism and democratic norms and is strictly against the policies of the communal forces of the BJP such as Uniform Civil Code which aims at unifying all forces under BJP RSS rules.’
Mincing no words in attacking the BJP, the president of the congress stated that fanaticism is at its peak in India where a ‘cow is placed above the value of men and women in the country.’
He declared that secular parties across India will come together in 2019 to wipe the BJP out of India.
Therie warned the Nagas not to take BJP-RSS and its alliance parties very lightly since ‘it would have serious ramifications on the Naga society in particular and the whole nation in general in the coming years.’
Also speaking on the occasion, MLA Yitachu questioned the People’s Democarttic Alliance (PDA) government headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, why their government doesn’t match their slogan, “Change is coming” with actions but contradicts their own slogan and involving in ‘fault-finding exercises concerning their opponents.’
The legislator also termed the PDA government as a ‘gossip-mill’ government to escape their own glaring weaknesses.
Terming Rio as a leader who had bought leadership through money power, Yitachu alleged that ‘he bought his assembly seat from Visasolie Lhoungou and from his own brother-in-law Chupfhuo, snatching of nomination papers from a woman who was filing nomination as an independent candidate.’
Speaking on the lines of the BJP’s slogan, ‘Election for solution,” Yitachu queried as to why the present day government has remained silent about Naga solution issue and is engaging only in ‘lip servicing.’
He appealed to the electorate of Nagaland to vote for C Apok Jamir who he said is the right person to represent Nagas at the Centre.
Meanwhile, the Official NPF candidate C Apok Jamir fervently appealed to the electorate to vote for him saying their one precious vote will determine their future and that one vote to show we are Nagas.
Other who spoke on the occasion included Ex NLA Speaker Thenucho, MLA Chotisuh Sazo, and working president NPF Apong Pongener.
