NAGALAND: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are attacking different cultures in India.
Rahul Gandhi addressing a public gathering in Mokokchung, Nagaland, said, “Nobody has a right to decide about your tradition and what you eat and what you wear. Every culture and religion must be respected.”
He said any decision on having a joint manifesto of the INDIA bloc parties will be taken by chiefs of all outfits, even as it launched a website and email ID for seeking people’s suggestions for its own manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
“As an Indian, I am ashamed that the Prime Minister did not visit Manipur which has been torn apart into two pieces, I am equally ashamed of the PM for not fulfilling his promises of peace pact made to the people of Nagaland nine years ago,” he said. “Their politics has torn the state (Manipur) apart. They have weaponized and burnt the state, and now they cannot set a foot in it,” he added.
Rahul also accused the ruling regime of discrimination with the people of northeastern states, especially Nagaland. “Why are people of Nagaland deprived of good roads, electricity, hospitals and other basic facilities that people in other parts of the country enjoy? How will a Naga youth sit for a competitive exam by traveling this road? How will he compete with the children of the rest of the country without electricity in his home” the Congress leader said.
In his address, he also criticized the Prime Minister for not fulfilling promises made to Nagaland under the Naga Accord in 2015. “If you don’t have a solution, please don’t lie to people,” he said in a veiled reference to the Prime Minister. “A solution cannot be brought out without taking people in confidence and having discussion with them,” he added.
