Aizawl: Only a national party like the Congress can protect the special provisions which Mizoram and other Northeast states enjoy under the Constitution, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Friday.
He also alleged that the BJP is functioning as a ‘ghost party’, attempting to infiltrate the state by co-opting the two major regional parties, Mizo National Front (MNF) and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM). The MNF and the BJP are two sides of the same coin, the senior Congress leader added.
Ramesh asserted that Article 371 (G), the special provision for Mizoram, was inserted in February 1987 to the Constitution when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister to protect the Mizo way of life.
“It is the greatest contribution of the Congress to Mizoram that is under threat today. It is only the hand (Congress party symbol) of sensitivity that understands the aspirations of the Northeast whereas the BJP is the party that wants one nation, one language; one nation, one culture; one nation, one religion; and one nation, one party is the BJP’s policy,” he said at a press conference in Aizawl.
“A government and a party that removed Article 370, can also remove 371(G),” Ramesh said, referring to the Modi government revoking the provision which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
Ramesh is in the state to campaign for the Congress candidates in the 7 November Mizoram polls. While the Congress, the MNF and the ZPM have put up candidates in all 40 seats of the Northeast state, the BJP is fielding candidates in 23 constituencies.
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‘Three-horse race’
The BJP’s strategy in the Northeast was to use the regional parties to grab power, Ramesh alleged.
“It is essentially a three-horse race with the MNF, INC and ZPM. There is a ghost party, the BJP. The power of the ghost over the other two parties, the ZPM and the MNF, is well known to everyone as they are the gateway for the BJP to enter Mizoram,” he said. “They (the BJP) did it in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur. Now, they are trying to do the same in Mizoram.”
Launching a direct attack on the ZPM, Ramesh said, “It is a party with no programme, no organisation, and no ideology. Their mantra is, ‘You have tried MNF, you have tried Congress. Now, try us.’ This is not the time for experimentation in Mizoram”.
The politics of the BJP is dividing society based on religion, ethnicity, language, and culture, he alleged. “A vote for the MNF, the ZPM is a vote for the BJP. They are back door entry points for BJP.”
Ramesh expressed shock that in the last three years, grants totalling Rs 3,500 crore grants that were due from the Centre have not been received despite the MNF being part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
He highlighted that a Congress government will guarantee that every citizen of Mizoram will get free treatment of up to Rs 15 lakh and LPG cylinders at Rs 750.
“We have implemented guarantees in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and we are serious about the implementation of guarantees. The time is right for change in Mizoram and to preserve and protect the Mizo way of life. Only a national party like the Congress party can ensure a vote for preserving traditions, customs, and culture of Mizoram,” he asserted.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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