Mokokchung, April 11 (MTNews): The Global Naga Forum (GNF) on Monday stated that a “Hindi-Hindu-centric national education” in Nagaland and the whole of the Northeast is the BJP’s current goal, and making Hindi compulsory is an intentional step in that direction. It termed the imposition of Hindi in the eight northeastern states as a vision towards a “monolithic Hindu-India and a RSS-driven national culture.”

 

GNF said the Union Home Minister’s effort is the “latest version of the 1950s project of Hinduising the Naga homeland, which is now being expanded to cover the whole of the Northeast.”

 

While saying that the forum welcome the study of any language, it said that “the current BJP government’s arbitrary decision to impose something like the teaching of Hindi on the eight states of the Northeast does not advance human excellence or respectful co-existence among the diverse linguistic and cultural groups India is known for.”

 

“People who study Indo-Naga relations will easily identify three major weapons in the arsenal of India’s campaign against the Naga people’s movement for self-determination,” GNF said. First, it said, was military force to crush a democratic, political struggle.

 

“After more than six decades working under the protection of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the Indian armed forces have mostly completed the job,” it explained.

 

“The second item in the anti-Naga arsenal has been the Indian Intelligence Bureau.What remains then is the third weapon: bringing Naga society in alignment with Hindu-India. This project was delayed under Indian Congress party rule, but has now been revived with passion by the BJP,” it said.

 

“In light of this unbroken history of Government of India’s systematic abuse of the Naga people’s right to self-determination on every front, GNF strongly opposes the imposition of Hindi in the state of Nagaland and the Naga homeland,” GNF said, and further added that the BJP’s current move will be the “final phase, the beginning of the end, of Naga existence as a people.”

 

Click here to read full statement

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *