Aizawl, Oct 31: Union Minister for Earth Science Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the BJP-led NDA government will never scrap article 371 of the Constitution as it had scrapped article 370 of the Constitution pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to media persons in Aizawl, Rijiju said that the BJP had promised to remove the article in its manifesto. “Union Home Minister Amit Shah clearly said on the floor of the Parliament that Article 370 of the Constitution created a barrier between the people of Kashmir and the rest of the country. So article 370 was removed for better integrity of the nation” he said.
Anyone who says that the BJP, if voted to power will scrap Article 371 and its provisions does not know the ground reality, he said.
Rijiju said that Shah also said in the Parliament that provisions of Article 371, for Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal, Meghalaya and others are to be protected, rather than removed.
“Article 371 is for protecting our tribal customs, practices, traditions, our dialects, our identities, which has to be protected, if necessary to be strengthened,” he said, adding, that those who are saying that article 371 is in danger have been saying it for many years.
The people who are saying this kind of bogus issue are insulting the people of the northeast region, Rijiju said.
He said that BJP is the only party that could ensure the security and prosperity of the people of Mizoram and North East and that the saffron party if voted to power in the state, will fulfil all the promises that have been reflected in the ‘Vision Document’.
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“Mizoram will become one of the most prosperous states under BJP,” the Union Minister said, adding that the second airport will be constructed in the state.
On the issue of Israel and Hamas conflict, he said that the Indian government condemned all forms of terrorism and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned terrorist attacks on Israel by the Hamas on October 7. “We are not talking about politics or political rights of Palestine or political rights of Israel. But we are against any acts of terrorism,” he said.
He accused the Congress party of supporting the Hamas attacks on Israel, saying, “They (the Congress) could not condemn the Hamas for the terrorist attacks against Israel. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have condemned the Hamas,” he added.
