Mokokchung: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with supporters during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, in Mokokchung district, Nagaland, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024.(IANS/AICC)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | January 17
As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra reached Mokokchung on the fourth day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that he is the soldier in New Delhi for the people of Nagaland and assured to voice their concerns in the nation's political capital.
“I just want to tell you that you have a soldier in New Delhi called Rahul Gandhi. If you need me to raise anything in Parliament, if you want me to put any of your issues on the table in Parliament House, I'm more than happy to do it,” he pledged, addressing a large gathering in Mokokchung Town on Wednesday.
He also reiterated his criticism of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the unresolved Naga political issue and accused him of making “an empty promise” to the people of Nagaland, possibly referring to the Framework Agreement signed in 2015.
“If you don’t have a solution, you should not lie and say you have a solution. You can say that we have to work towards a solution. We will work towards a solution, but you must not lie to the people of Nagaland,” the Congress leader stated.
“And so I would like to tell you that we understand that your issues are very serious and there is a requirement for a solution,” he added. However, Gandhi opined that a solution cannot be brought without having the trust of the people of Nagaland or without having a discussion with them.
“So I'm quite sad having to say that what the Prime Minister committed to nine years ago is an empty promise,” he added, while giving his commitment to do the hard work that is required to get a solution.
The Congress leader further highlighted that the first yatra last year was undertaken from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to bring the people of India of different religions, languages, cultures, and ideas together.
A similar yatra was scheduled from East to West to send a message that the North-East is as important as any other part of India, he said. It doesn't matter if the population is less, but the importance has to be the same, he added.
Gandhi also maintained that there is an ongoing “ideological war” in India and accused the RSS and BJP of attacking all the different cultures in the country.
While driving through these roads, he said he can see the history, culture, tradition, and way of life of the people, further revealing that just before his speech, he told that the people understand English. Though calling it a good thing, Gandhi, however, said that he wanted his speech translated into the Naga language as it is the medium the people “used to talk to each other.”
“This is the language and the culture that the RSS and the BJP are attacking and disrespecting,” he claimed. “What you speak? Who you worship? What you eat? Your marriage Traditions, These are your Traditions. These are nobody else's business,” he asserted, adding, “As an Indian person, it is my duty to respect these cultures, these traditions, these histories.”
Reiterating that as an Indian, he was ashamed that the prime minister has not been to Manipur yet, Gandhi charged, “Their politics has torn the state apart. They have divided the state. They have weaponized the state. They have burnt the state and they cannot set foot in the state.”
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is for fighting against this form of politics, he added. Earlier in the day, the Yatra made a stopover at VK Town under Zunheboto district before reaching Mokokchung, where stops were made at Chuchuyimpang, Chuchuyimlang, and Chantongya, culminating in a night halt in Tuli Town. Gandhi is scheduled to enter Assam on Thursday morning for the next leg of his Yatra.
