DIMAPUR:
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to go alone in the upcoming Manipur elections is “a big challenge to secular like-minded voters”, said the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), on January 30.
Terming the BJP’s dumping of the Nationalist Democratic Party (NDPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF) a “pity”, Pradesh Congress president K Therie said that the decision will threaten the future of tribals, minorities, and especially, an individual’s freedom of religion.
“For them, it is Hindustan, with one language – Hindi – and one religion – Hinduism. We as tribal people do not fit in the RSS/BJP’s idea of nationalism. We need freedom of religion. We cannot compromise our identity, culture, customs and social practices,” he said, in a statement released on Sunday.
While NDPP, BJP and NPF are partners in the present Nagaland government, NPF is an alliance partner in the Manipur government.
“As tribals, we are too simple, short-sighted and short-tempered. We cannot remember the past and cannot see the future. We forget history and even our ancestors for temporary gains, temporary pleasures and temporary riches. We talk of our rights without understanding the other side of the coin,” he said, adding that the BJP has a dream of ‘communal nationalism’.