AIZAWL: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the BJP was riding piggyback on the Mizo National Front (MNF) to make an entry into Mizoram even as he charged the saffron party with destroying institutions such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Election Commission.
“I am absolutely certain the BJP-RSS is aiming at destroying the Mizos’ history, culture, language and everything. I am sad to see the MNF colluding with the BJP-RSS and allowing them to have a foothold in Mizoram. By working with the BJP, the MNF is damaging your culture and your attempt to build a prosperous Mizoram,” Gandhi told people at a rally in Aizawl.
The Congress in the state claims the BJP has a tacit understanding with the MNF and some smaller regional parties and it is helping them in every possible way this election. The BJP is a partner of the MNF in non-Congress conglomerate of political parties North East Democratic Alliance. However, both are going it alone in the polls. Mizoram is the last Congress-ruled state of the Northeast. The BJP has its presence in all other governments in the region.
“They (BJP) know they are not going to win another (2019) election as people will reject them. So, they are trying to infiltrate their people into every institution, be it the Planning Commission, judiciary or the educational system. Merit no longer matters. If you are a member of the RSS, you can become the vice chancellor of a university or the governor of a state. The only thing you have to follow is what they believe. They have destroyed the CBI, RBI and the Election Commission,” Gandhi alleged.
He assured the voters that the Congress would fight the BJP-RSS and protect the identity, culture, history and languages of the people of Mizoram. He said the Mizos, not Nagpur, would decide the future of Mizoram.
The Congress president told the voters: “I am your representative in Delhi. I will not make any false promises like Prime Minister Narendra Modi who spoke about giving Rs.15 lakh to everyone”.
Gandhi accused the PM of robbing public money and using it to buy publicity and slammed him on issues such as the Rafale deal, farmers’ suicides etc.
He recalled Mizoram’s road to peace saying “I am reminded of my visit to Mizoram in 1987 with my father when peace was beginning to settle here (after a 20-year-long insurgency movement). He (Rajiv Gandhi) toured by car. He had promised to the people that he will deliver a peaceful Mizoram. I am proud to say that Mizoram is today not just peaceful but one of the most progressive states in the country”.