Stating that India’s pluralism, diversity, varied ethnicity, and including the Indian Constitution, which is the very foundation of all its ethos, are also under attack by the BJP and the RSS, Surjewala said that the responsibility lies in every individual to rise together in unison and to say that India will not be divided by the sinister design of the BJP.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary RS Surjewala on Tuesday said that India’s constitutional ethos is “under attack” by the BJP and the RSS under Narendra Modi-led government. He was addressing a mammoth gathering of the Congress supporters at Super Market, Naga Shopping Arcade (NSA), Dimapur, campaigning for AICC’s consensus candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland S Supongmeren Jamir.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was supposed to address the gathering, had cancelled his visit at the last moment due to his health condition.
Stating that India’s pluralism, diversity, varied ethnicity, and including the Indian Constitution, which is the very foundation of all its ethos, are also under attack by the BJP and the RSS, Surjewala said that the responsibility lies in every individual to rise together in unison and to say that India will not be divided by the sinister design of the BJP.
The BJP is propagating today along with its many allies by spreading a culture of hate and division while also attacking the ethnic diversity and identity of the people, its cultures and sub-cultures of the millions of Indians. The party is also dictating on the dress codes, ethnic languages, customs and traditions, he said.
Mentioning that though Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio will not let the Nagas know, Surjewala said the BJP’s union minister Anant Kumar Hedge has already made it known that if the BJP comes to power this time again, it would change the constitution
Today the people of India are experiencing two models. RS Surjewala stated that NDPP-BJP was to dictate, impose, force, and intimidate, and Modi’s model was also to apply the same, but Congress’ model is all about compassion, love, dialogue, and finding a solution.
He said the NDPP-BJP alliance in the state has 60 MLAs with a chief minister and two deputy chief ministers, they have a prime minister at the Centre, they have the entire council of ministers but they are unable to deliver the much desired and longed-for, the Naga solution. Why can’t they find a solution to the problem of the Naga people, he asked. He also cited that in the 2023 elections, the NDPP had coined “elections for solutions” and today it has retracted itself to “No Direction Propaganda Party (NDPP)” and its alliance partner to “Bahut Jhoothi Party (BJP)”, he said.
He maintained =that the Naga people solution was started in the 1990s and went through many Prime Ministers including Congress prime ministers, finally, the Framework Agreement was signed in 2015 but not materialized till date (2024). The AICC general secretary questioned =where was the FA, whether anybody has seen more than the one page of the FA, what are the contours of that agreement, why has it not implemented and when will it be implemented, what is the subject, does it have a date or is it an undated agreement.
The truth was that the FA has also become a “jumla of Modi”. Nothing has happened since 2015, he said.
On Article 371 (A), AICC general secretary, RS Surjewala, said it was in the year 1962, late Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, and the Congress gave the Nagas, Article 371 (A) within the Constitution of India. It protects Nagas’ traditions and cultures, customary laws and practices, ownership and transfer of land, Nagas’ way of life, and after which it was on December 1, 1963, Nagaland became the 16th states in the Indian union, upon the principle, he said.
Alarmed with what will happen to the Nagas when Article 371 (A) is removed from the Constitution of India if the BJP-led NDA government comes to power at the Centre, as the BJP has already planned to amend a new constitution, Surjewala said.
The BJP’s amended Constitution will attack all the customs, cultures and traditions. The Congress is trying to protect them as it believes that every Indian howsoever his or her features might be, everybody is an Indian and have a right to cohabitate, he said.
As Modi government now wanted to abolish the “Free Movement Regime (FMR)” agreement with Myanmar, as union home minister, Amit Shah’s statement made on February 21 this year in Guwahati, Assam, Surjewala asked what will happen to relatives, families, and friends who lives across the borders and also asked what will happen to India’s free trade with Myanmar and to ponder upon to the rights of the Nagas to go freely upto 16 Kms into their territory and if needed be, get a pass to stay for two weeks in that country.
Speaking at the gathering, the Congress candidate S Supongmeren Jamir gatherings sought support from every quarter to work together for a “common cause” to stand and voice for the people of the state in the parliament to bring a change in the system of the state.
Rising People’s Party (RPP) president, Joel Naga also spoke at the NPCC public rally. The rally was chaired by NPCC vice-president and co-chairman, campaign committee, Capt GK Zhimomi. It was started with an invocation by Rev Thebemo Yanthan, while vote of thanks was proposed by NPCC working president, and chairman, campaign committee, Khriedi Theunuo.
The gatherings were enthralled with the theme song “Jago Jago Nagaland” by NK Naga.