Dimapur, 26 June (MTNews): The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has called on the Nagaland Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition government to speak up for the interests of Nagaland in the ongoing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) controversy.
The RPP has strongly opposed the implementation of the UCC, which it believes is aligned with the “One nation, One religion, One language” narrative of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Highlighting recent events, the RPP drew attention to the BJP’s promise to impose the UCC, which was part of its manifesto during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The RPP further pointed out that in 2022, the BJP government attempted to impose Hindi as the national language of India, following the “One nation, One language” formula.
However, according to the party, this move faced significant backlash from several Southern and Northeastern states except in Nagaland where the NDPP-BJP coalition huddled in pin-drop silence.
Additionally, the RPP highlighted the ban on the sale of dog meat in Nagaland, which was imposed in 2020. The party alleged that this decision was influenced by Hindutva elements in the central government, and the coalition government did not defend the cultural sentiments of the people of Nagaland. Similarly, during the beef ban controversy in the country, the RPP accused the same NDPP-BJP coalition government for maintaining a ‘muted stance’.
With the UCC controversy gaining momentum, the RPP demanded that the NDPP-BJP coalition government should rise to the occasion and speak up for Nagaland.
“Silence at this juncture will have disastrous consequences because if UCC is imposed in the state by overruling Article 371A, neither the people nor the RPP will remain silent. The imposition of UCC will be a call for insurrection in the state,” the RPP stated.
To make their collective voice heard, the RPP demanded that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) pass a resolution opposing the UCC in its entirety. The party urged the NDPP-BJP coalition government to promptly convene a special session of the NLA to address this matter.