Kohima, February 16 (MTNews): Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that the BJP has released a ‘copycat manifesto’ for the Nagaland Assembly polls.
Addressing a press conference in Kohima, the senior Congress leader claimed that the BJP national president JP Nadda inaugurated a copycat document highlighting that the manifesto to provide ‘administrative and political power to Eastern Nagaland’ were declared by Congress two weeks ago.
Calling Congress’ manifesto a ‘revolution’, he pointed out that the Naga political issue found no mention in the 41-page BJP manifesto while the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) demand did not find a place in the BJP’s ‘vision document’.
The senior Congress leader also pointed out how other than Dimapur or Kohima, the connectivity to the other district Headquarters and sub-district Headquarters are almost ‘non-existent’.
“Development has come to a complete halt in the last five years in the state, while corruption has increased astronomically,” he alleged.
According to Ramesh, the BJP’s promises to build all-weather roads, railway network by 2024, self-employment opportunities for youth, a slew of welfare schemes and promises for investment in cultural research do not mean a thing to an average Nagaland citizen who is deprived of even piped water supply or smooth power supply.
Ramesh also highlighted how the framework agreement for the resolution of the Naga Issue was signed but ‘eight years have gone by and we are still waiting for the details of what the agreement was’.
Maintaining that the BJP-led government at the Centre abolished Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Ramesh said a government that can do away with Article 370 can also abolish Article 371A, which provides for certain special provisions for Nagaland.
He said, Congress created Nagaland and introduced Article 371A in the Constitution to protect, preserve and promote the interest of the people of the state.
“This is a very important election in the history of Nagaland and an opportunity to reject the forces which made false promises in 2018, and an opportunity to put trust and confidence in a party that respects and celebrates India’s many diversities,” Ramesh said.