Addressing the series of tensions occurring in the Northeast over the CAA, NRC and the recent Assam-Mizoram border clash, BJP MPs of the north-east met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and submitted a memorandum where they had accused the Congress of ‘stoking tempers’ on sensitive issues in the region.
The MPs’ letter to PM Modi expressed distress over the violence taking place between the two states. The MPs stated that this was an attempt by the Congress Party to involve politics over the clashes calling their motives ‘devious and mischievous.‘
”Like our fellow Indians, we are extremely pained by the violence that took place on the Assam-Mizoram border. At the same time, we would like to express our clear disapproval of the attempt by sections of our polity led by the Congress Party to indulge in politics over these happenings and use this as a means to indulge in one-upmanship,” the memorandum said.
The MPs also pointed out that a series of confidence-building measures have taken place between the two states over the last few days and blame Congress for trying to politicize the issue.
“Yet, the actions of the Congress Party remain devious and mischievous. We would like to strongly convey to all those elements who view the Assam-Mizoram issue as a means of spreading chaos in India that their shenanigans will not work. India is united and will continue to move ahead on the path of progress,” the memorandum said.
The MPs further said that The Congress strategy of trying to spread chaos across the country because of the Assam-Mizoram issue won’t work as India will stay united and continue to progress further in the path of development. The long-standing border dispute finds its root in the colonial past and to this date continues to haunt the integrity of the country in the Northeast region. Recently, seven Assam Police personnel were killed while fifty suffered injuries after violent clashes broke out between Assam Police and Mizoram Police.
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“The Congress party keeps taking credit for the Mizo accord but in less than two years of the accord, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dismissed and humiliated Laldenga so that the state could have a Congress Government,” the memorandum stated.
The Mizoram Peace Accord, 1986 was an official agreement between the Government of India and the Mizo National Front to end insurgency and violence in Mizoram, India, that started in 1966.
The MPs in the memorandum pointed out how former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were insensitive towards the aspirations of the Naga and Mizo communities and never really understood the culture of the diverse communities of the northeast.
The MPs further talked about Congress’ soft stand on China, which created problems among the people of Arunachal Pradesh for years. In Assam, it is no secret how Congress encouraged instability in the state between the 1970s and 1980s.
Dilip Saikia, a BJP MP from Assam, said, “All the BJP MPs from the Northeast attended the meeting and discussed the issues concerning the region and also the ongoing border dispute of Assam with Mizoram. We requested the Prime Minister to intervene and find an amicable solution to the border dispute among the Northeast states.”
Furthermore, the MPs stated in the letter, “As for the development indices, successive Congress governments left the people of North East to their own fate. Basic development facilities did not reach even the relatively urban centres of the north-east leave aside the remote areas.” In contrast, the Modi-led government had spent Rs 2 lakh crore in the region due to which infrastructure such as railway, road, and air connectivity had improved.
The MPs while concluding, paid their deepest gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they were ‘deeply touched’ with the sensitive approach that the PM had adopted for the Northeast from developmental work to his ‘Act East Policy’. In contrast, the former Congress rule in the region was stagnant in terms of development and connectivity.
Congress had failed India and it never took time to understand the demography or diversity of the region. The MPs further said, the Congress had ‘zero regards’ for their culture and had insulted their traditions on numerous occasions. They are grateful to PM Modi as Ministers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura are added to his Council on Ministers for the first time since Independent India.
Coming back to the recent tensions in the Northeast over the CAA, NRC and they talk about the violent clash on 26th July between the police of both states, the MPs said The Congress should stop politicking on issues and focus on development agenda and that they are in no position to be compared with PM Modi in the pursuit for all-round development and the peaceful approach with which he deals every situation is unbeatable. The letter was signed by several MPs from the northeast region including Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Dilip Saikia, Tapir Gao, and Pallab Lochan Das among others.