Thannganing Hungyo
September 8
Dimapur (Mexn): The Bharatiya Janata Party has lambasted the ruling United Progressive Alliance government of not being sensitive to the problems of the Northeast. General Secretary of the BJP Pramod Mahajan, said in a press conference which was held at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur today that the Congress led regime’s behaviour towards the region was ‘discriminatory in nature’ and accused the Central government of having a ‘step-motherly’ treatment towards the seven sister states. On the issue of integration of all Naga inhabited areas, Mahajan stuck to the BJP’s earlier stand. He said that a consensus had to be taken up with leaders of all the states which have Naga populations if the map of the region was to be redrawn. Accusing the Congress-led government for derailing the Naga peace process, he said that had the people of India elected the BJP to power for another term, permanent peace could have already become a reality in Nagaland. For the last 15 months, the peace process has been lagging behind and is unsatisfactory, Mahajan remarked. While stating that the UPA was not serious in its approach to the problem in Nagaland, he asked the Center to expedite the peace process. He also asked all segments of Naga society, whether overground or underground to take earnest initiative towards the peace process.
Mahajan also enquired of Manmohan Singh’s government as to where the special package initiated by the BJP had disappeared after the UPA came to power. While reaffirming the BJP’s support to the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government, Mahajan said that the party was fully committed to the Common Minimum Programme of the NPF led government. He was optimistic that the DAN would complete its five-year term and by bringing progress to the state would renew its mandate.
While naming terrorism, naxalism and illegal immigration as the three dangers to the internal security of the country, Mahajan said that Nagaland had become a victim to illegal influx of Bangladeshis. He said that effective steps had to be taken to contain this menace. Mahajan said that to root out this problem, the Central government had to accept that the problem existed. When asked to give a solution to the vexed issue, Mahajan said that illegal immigrants should be disenfranchised to stop them from exercising political powers. He said that this could be a first step towards eradicating the problem as deporting 20 million illegal immigrants was too huge a task. On the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act enforced in Nagaland, he said that the army and the police were not the only answers in the Northeast as the region was facing multi-dimensional problems.
Mahajan came to Nagaland in place of Central BJP Vice President Venkaiah Naidu as the latter is engaged elsewhere. He will be leaving today.
