KOHIMA: Altogether 37 prominent members of the Nagaland unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have tendered their resignation in a letter to the Nagaland Unit President.
In a letter to the Nagaland BJP President Temjen Imna Along Longkumer, the members said that they were tendering their resignation as they could not agree with the party's principles and philosophy in general, particularly its 'Hindutva policy,' besides with the party's State leadership led by him and the conduct and functioning of Organising Secretary Anantha Mishra, which was highly objectionable and abominable.
The members also listed six specific reasons for their resignation, including their disenchantment with the delay in reaching a final agreement on the Naga political issue, despite signing of the Framework Agreement in 2015 and holding of negotiations umpteen number of times with the Naga National political groups by the NDA Government.
They said the Naga people were extremely disappointed. The members said several other reasons for their decision in their lengthy resignation letter.
One of them was the 'extreme disappointment' of Naga people with the Indo-Naga peace talks which could not be brought to fruition despite the Framework Agreement of 2015 and several rounds of negotiations with Naga National Political Groups during the NDA rule.
They included senior state executive members of the Party, also remained miffed with the national Party's stance on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
If the Bill is passed and becomes an Act, it will have tremendous effect and will change the demography of the State and the region, noted the former BJP members, refusing to be part of anti people and governanceâ policies.
They also said as per the BJP Constitution, 75 per cent of the Office bearers and Executive members are required to be senior members.
This has been completely thrown to the wind by the present President and his team and 90 per cent of the senior members are not given any assignments.
In the case of many office bearers and executive members, it is not even clear whether they are even primary members not to talk of active members, stated the members in their resignation letter.
They also pointed out that âmany members who had left the party before the last assembly elections to either contest or support other parties and are now office bearers in BJP.
Loyal members have no place in the party. Finally, the immoral activities of the BJP's Organizing Secretary were highlighted as a roadblock apart from the cases of cheating, forgery and embezzlement by the State President that has made the rank and file of Nagaland BJP hang their head in shame, the members said.