Aizawl, Oct 17: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), saying both are instruments for the entry of BJP and a right-wing Hindu nationalist, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), into Mizoram.
Gandhi is on a two-day visit to poll-bound Mizoram to campaign for party candidates for the upcoming assembly polls slated for November 7.
The Congress leader alleged that different states of Northeast are being attacked by the BJP and RSS and the culture, religion and tradition of Mizoram are also under attack.
He also alleged that the MNF and ZPM are entry points for the BJP and RSS in Mizoram.
“If you look at the two political parties (MNF and ZPM), 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 told a news conference here.
He alleged that the MNF and ZPM are instruments of attack on Mizo culture, tradition and religion from the BJP, which will use the two parties to enter the state.
The Congress leader said that the BJP and the RSS have a different vision and the idea of the RSS is that India should be ruled by one ideology and by one political organisation.
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Citing that Congress is ideologically opposed to the BJP and RSS, Gandhi said that the Congress believed that India is a union of states and all religions, cultures and histories should be protected.
He also accused the BJP of attempting to capture the entire institutional framework of the country.
“The Congress party helped lay the foundation of our country and we have a record of defending that foundation. We believe that the country’s institutional framework belongs to the people and not to one political organisation,” he said.
Gandhi also said that his party’s vision is decentralising power against the BJP’s vision of centralising power in Delhi and taking all decisions from the Centre.
The Congress leader exuded hope that the Congress will do well in the upcoming assembly polls, but refused to comment on how many seats the party is expecting to win.
He said that the Congress party has developed a similar concept of development schemes and social security schemes implemented in other Congress-ruled states for Mizoram.
The Congress, if comes to power, will revive the old pension scheme, reduce gas cylinder price to Rs 750 and also introduce an economic empowerment scheme for people called ‘Tangpuina,” he said.
Citing that lack of employment led to rampant drug abuse among the young generation, Gandhi said that Congress will also focus on the generation of employment for young people.
He reiterated that the Congress party would make massive efforts to protect the culture, religion and tradition of Mizoram.
Gandhi also on Tuesday interacted with party leaders in Aizawl.
He will address a public meeting in Lunglei, the largest town in the southern part of the state, before his departure to Delhi in the evening.
