The Congress on Wednesday urged the Nagaland electorate to defeat the hidden agenda of BJP. The party has said it is under prepared to contest the February 27 Nagaland Assembly elections in the present circumstances.
Addressing a press conference here, AICC general secretary Dr Jaya Kumar, who is also in-charge of Nagaland elections, said the election was “imposed” on the people of Nagaland and it was compelled to follow the constitutional duties.
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Stating that it was with a heavy heart that the Congress had decided to contest the state elections, he said the party could not field candidates in all the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state under the present circumstances.
The Congress released a list of 23 candidates Tuesday night after all other parties announced their candidates.
According to Kumar, contesting the February 27 Nagaland Assembly elections is in total violation of the January 29 joint declaration signed by the political parties. Eleven political parties, both national and regional, signed the joint declaration in Kohima in presence of Naga tribe hohos, civil organizations and Naga underground groups not to field any candidate in the upcoming elections.
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Maintaining that Congress party wanted solution before the election, the AICC leader accused the BJP of letting down the people of Nagaland and entering the Nagaland politics through backdoor with the help of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief ministerial candidate Neiphiu Rio. He also termed BJP-NDPP alliance as “adultery”.
Kumar further accused Rio of inviting “Hidutwa force” to Nagaland while appealing to the people of the state to select the right candidates.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to solve the Naga problem within 18 months of coming to power but wondered even after more than three years the solution remained elusive.
The AICC general secretary said the Congress will fight the election on secular plank and focus on infrastructure development, especially for development of youths of the State and on health care if it comes to power.
Former Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, who is the chief election observer for Nagaland, accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of taking away all developmental schemes and cutting the funding for North eastern states, particularly Nagaland.
“There is no reason to support such a party which has taken away our rights,” Tuki said. He also alleged that BJP instead of solving the problems has created more problems.
Former Assam minister and AICC observer for Nagaland Pradyut Bordoloi termed the NDPP pre-poll alliance with the BJP an “unfair act” and called upon the people of Nagaland to defeat the hidden agenda of RSS and BJP in state.
He said Prime Minister Modi makes tall promises but fails to deliver. “He has turned out to be a liar of all ages,” Bordoloi said.
Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, who is also Congress observer for Nagaland elections, said the BJP failed to live up to its promises. He said the party betrayed the people wherever they had formed government.
On the two crore jobs that the Prime Minister Modi promised to provide, Gaurav said the BJP cannot fool the people, especially the people of Nagaland, with false promises.
“BJP is for the RRS, of the RSS and by the RSS,” he alleged.