Aizawl: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and the opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), accusing them of being “instruments” for the entry of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into Mizoram.
Gandhi, who was on a two-day visit to Mizoram to campaign for party candidates in the upcoming assembly polls, alleged that the BJP and RSS were attacking the culture, religion, and tradition of Mizoram and other northeastern states.
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“The MNF and ZPM are entry points for the BJP and RSS in Mizoram. The MNF is directly aligned with the BJP, and the ZPM is not fighting against the BJP. It is very clear that they are entry points for the BJP,” Gandhi said in a press conference in Aizawl.
He further alleged that the MNF and ZPM were being used as instruments to attack Mizo culture, tradition, and religion by the BJP, which aims to gain a foothold in the state.
The Congress leader contrasted the BJP and RSS‘s vision of a centralized India ruled by a single ideology with the Congress’s belief in a decentralized India that celebrates its diversity of religions, cultures, and histories.
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He accused the BJP of attempting to capture India’s institutional framework, stating, “The Congress party helped lay the foundation of our country, and we have a record of defending that foundation. We believe that the institutional framework of the country belongs to the people and not to one political organization.”
Gandhi expressed confidence in the Congress‘s performance in the upcoming assembly polls, highlighting the party’s development schemes and social security initiatives implemented in other Congress-ruled states.
He outlined plans to revive the old pension scheme, reduce gas cylinder prices, introduce an economic empowerment scheme called ‘Tangpuihna,’ and address unemployment, which he linked to rampant drug abuse among the youth.
He reiterated the Congress party’s commitment to protecting Mizoram’s culture, religion, and tradition.
During his visit, Gandhi interacted with party leaders in Aizawl and addressed a public meeting in Lunglei before departing for Delhi in the afternoon.