Nagaland needs an alternative voice: Tharoor

Morung Express News
Kohima | February 23

Former Union Minister and Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, said that Nagas deserve better than the deception, corruptions, dishonesty, and inefficiency that are plaguing the state under the BJP and NDPP coalition government. A star campaigner for the Indian National Congress (INC) party, Tharoor also emphasized that the state needs an alternative voice— the Congress party— through which the people can raise their concerns in the Assembly.

Addressing a meeting at the Congress Bhavan in Kohima on Monday, Tharoor spoke about various issues affecting Nagaland, including the current state of affairs in the state under the coalition. He also went on to make a dig at the BJP, stating that the party has a very “narrow and monolithic idea of India.”

Referring to Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s recent speech at a rally in Nagaland about the BJP’s ideology, Tharoor said that the BJP constitution says its ideology is Hindutva, which is nowhere mentioned in the Constitution of India. He questioned what the BJP wants and alleged that the party comes and says one thing to the people of Nagaland and another thing to the rest of India. He stated that ‘this is the kind of politics of fooling the people that the BJP intends to practice in Nagaland.’

Tharoor accused the BJP of officially declaring its ideology of Hindutva, which identifies one religious identity and community as an entity over everyone else, and declared its intention of converting India from its present constitution to a ‘Hindu rashtra.’ He urged the people not to be taken in by this kind of rhetoric and asked whether the minister who came to Nagaland and is trying to pull the wool over their eyes would be able to explain how they are going to achieve Hindu rashtra in Nagaland, where 97% of the population are non-Hindus.

 “You have to ask these questions. They have got away with fooling you for too long. Don’t let the BJP conceal its basic orientation, which they have, throughout their time in India since they came to power in 2014 that they believe in one nation, one religion, one language which is Hindi and one leader- you know who,” Tharoor maintained.

He cited a series of attacks on minorities in the country and said that the attackers are always from Hindutva organizations and ideologies, ‘and the BJP government has remained silent on these attacks.’ Tharoor asked how the BJP can come to Nagaland and pretend to be something they are not when their true face is evident through these incidents.

Tharoor pointed out that India’s constitution celebrates diversity and equality, and the BJP has no right to preach one thing in Delhi and Hindi speaking states while trying to spin a yarn when they come to Nagaland. He accused the BJP of trying to fool the people by saying one thing here and behaving differently everywhere else in the country.

“You cannot expect to fool the people by saying something here, and behaving differently everywhere else in the country. But that is what BJP is, and is doing systematically,” he alleged.

On Naga political issue
Tharoor also spoke about the Naga political issue, making a satirical remark referring to the announcement of a political settlement within three months by the former governor of Nagaland RN Ravi in August 2019. He alleged that the BJP is slowly backtracking on the Naga political issue by bringing out a Framework Agreement instead of a Naga accord with further talks. He wondered if the BJP would start talking about abolishing Article 371(A) as well.

Tharoor acknowledged the failure of the Congress in addressing the Naga political issue but stressed the need for a political solution. “We tried, but I must admit the Congress couldn’t succeed,” he said while adding that successive governments of India were distracted by the insurgency and a political solution is overdue.

Govt should be made accountable on its promises
Tharoor also criticized the current government for failing to meet the basic needs of the people of Nagaland, such as electricity, water, and roads. He said that these are the basic things that any government should be taking care of, and the fact that the government has not been able to deliver them is a standing rebuke. He further viewed that the current government has had many promises that have evaporated along with the money.

He also criticized the government for failing to complete the medical college, the high court and the lack of an Institute of Science Education and Research. Tharoor opined that one cannot talk about development without education.

The Congress leader called for the government to be held accountable for its promises and alleged that, “the level of corruption that the people of Nagaland endure under the present leadership is truly appalling.”

Congress is the politics of hope
Meanwhile, Tharoor called for a change in Nagaland’s political landscape, highlighting the growing disparity between a small group of prosperous individuals and the larger neglected population.

Stating that the Congress is the ‘politics of hope,’ he urged the public to give the party a chance to represent their voices and concerns in the assembly. Tharoor emphasized that even if Congress becomes just a strong opposition voice, it would be better than the current situation where there is no opposition in the assembly.

‘I am certain we will able to give you an alternative, even if the alternative is just a strong opposition voice, isn’t that better than the situation you see for the last five years?’ he posed, referring to the opposition-less government in the assembly – the only state in India without an opposition.

The Congress represents change, progress, development, anti-corruption, and hope for Nagaland’s future, he said while appealing to the people to understand the need for change and to raise their voices for a better Nagaland.

During his visit, Tharoor also interacted with research scholars, students, and professionals.