India
Bjp: BJP is inclusive, 75 of its 80 candidates in Meghalaya, Nagaland are Christians: North-east co-in-charge Rituraj Sinha | India News
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Assembly elections in the two Christian-majority northeastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland will be held on February 27. For the first time ever, the BJP is contesting all 60 seats in Meghalaya. It has fielded 20 candidates in Nagaland. The party has given a ticket to a woman candidate in Nagaland where not a single woman has become an MLA ever since the state came into existence on December 1, 1963 as the 16th state of the Indian Union. The state has not elected a woman as an MLA in the 13 assembly elections held since 1964. The BJP nominated the state’s first Rajya Sabha MP S Phangnon Konyak in March 2022. Talking about the election in the two states is BJP national secretary co-in-charge of North-east Rituraj Sinha who tells in an interview to Kumar Shakti Shekhar why the BJP is relying on ‘Brand Modi’. Edited excerpts:
What are the special achievements of the Modi government in the Northeast in the last eight years?
PM Modi has converted India’s ‘Look East Policy’ to a genuine ‘Act East Policy’. India has been talking about and various leaders have spoken about ‘Look East Policy’ for several years. But under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, for the first time, India has taken firm and consistent steps to mainstream the northeastern population.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji in the last eight years has visited the Northeast more than 50 times. Let me remind you that this is more than all previous prime ministers put together. He is the only prime minister who has taken so much time for the North-east region. Each time that he has visited Northeast, he has visited with a development package.
In the famous HIRA (highways, internet, railways and airways) model, a very wide investment has taken place across all eight northeastern states to connect these areas better and provide basic amenities.
More than development, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, North-east has witnessed an era of peace. Several peace accords have been signed which were pending for decades. Prime Minister Modi has established that the northeast is an essential and integral part of India. In the true sense, Prime Minister Modi has married regional aspirations of northeast with our national priorities.
Under home minister Amit Shah ji, in several parts of the northeast, almost 85 percent of AFSPA has been removed, bringing great relief to the North-east area. Similarly, under BJP president JP Nadda, a major expanse of the party has taken place in northeast. The BJP is ruling in four northeastern states. Our coalition governments are there in Nagaland and Sikkim.
Christians constitute a majority in both Meghalaya and Nagaland. The BJP is a rightist party perceived to be pro-Hindu. In such a situation, how does the party feel confident of victory in the two states?
There is a general perception that since Nagaland has more than 85 percent Christian population and Meghalaya has more than 75 percent Christian population, the acceptance of the BJP is not going to be established. But the message we are trying to convey here is very clear. The BJP is not anti-church or against any religion. The BJP is only against those who are anti-national. The BJP is inclusive. It believes in ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’.
Almost all our candidates – at least 75 – in the 80 seats (60 in Meghalaya and 20 in Nagaland) that we are contesting are Christians. Even the remaining five are non-Hindus. They believe in nature.
Secondly, people forget that Prime Minister Modi is not just building Hindu temples and Hindu corridors. Under his government, the PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme, which focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience, is also contributing heavily to the redevelopment of churches and Christian-supported institutions. People forget that when PM Modi runs his poverty alleviation programmes, he does not distinguish or discriminate between religion, gender, caste or tribe.
Also, sometimes people ignore the fact that when a very prominent church in Colombo was bombed by terrorists, Prime Minister Modi was the first and only global leader to fly all the way to the Sri Lankan capital to show solidarity with the people of that island country.
People also forget that the first time His Holiness Pope visited India was under BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And even now, Prime Minister Modi has invited His Holiness Pope Francis to visit India. Why would they do that if they were to check Christianity in India?
There is a lot of misinformation around that the BJP is trying to convert people to Hinduism, ban beef and the likes. The fact is that the BJP has not encroached upon anybody’s right to practice their religion or their personal food habits. These are cultural issues and the BJP has enough tolerance to accept and respect that. We have been clarifying all this.
Personally, I have met several church leaders across Turra, Shillong, Kohima and Mon. Most of them understand and appreciate that the BJP is being painted as communal or anti-Christian because of vested interests. People of Meghalaya and Nagaland understand that Modi ji genuinely believes in ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’.
The opposition parties allege that the BJP opposes beef-eating in most parts of the country but remains silent over it in Goa and the northeastern states. What do you have to say about this?
We believe that food habits and religion are matters of personal choice. People are free to practice what they feel like. The BJP respects and understands the uniqueness of culture. One size does not fit all. Culture in several states of North cannot be comparable to the culture of Goa and the Northeast. Why should the same norm be applied all across the country? We recognise that the culture in the northern and the northeastern parts are not homogenous.
How confident is the BJP of victory in Meghalaya and Nagaland?
The BJP had two seats in the Meghalaya legislative assembly last time with 9.5 percent vote share. In 2023, the results of BJP in Meghalaya will surprise many. The people of Meghalaya are completely with Prime Minister Modi. They are fed up with corruption and dynastic politics. They are witnessing that Meghalaya is lagging behind in the rapid progress of north-eastern states which are governed by the BJP.
In Nagaland, last time we had 12 seats and 15 percent vote share. This time we are contesting 20 seats again in alliance with our alliance partner National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). We are very confident that the people of Nagaland have witnessed the impact of central schemes whether it is Jal Jeewan Mission, free rice, housing scheme or health care. We are very confident that the BJP will get more seats than ever in the history of Nagaland elections.
Nagaland
Why has no woman become an MLA in Nagaland since 1963?
It is quite clear that women are not adequately represented. Prime Minister Modi and the BJP have been conscious of this reality. To change the course, PM Modi nominated S Phangnon Konyak to Rajya Sabha. She is the first lady parliamentarian from Nagaland. Even now BJP has gone against the normal wisdom and put up Engineer Sema Kahuli as its candidate in one of the 20 seats. We obviously want to increase the representation of women in the Nagaland assembly. Now it is for the people of Nagaland to take a view of this matter.
Why has the BJP fielded only one woman candidate in 20 of the 60 seats it is contesting? Why not more?
There are several competing candidates. The election is about winnability.
The general sentiment in Nagaland is that the BJP has been able to install peace in the state in the last five years. They have also witnessed the sincerity with which PM Modi and his government have worked relentlessly through conversations and negotiations with all stakeholders to take the political issue of Naga peace to a conclusion.
The situation may not have been resolved completely but they have seen the genuine intent. People appreciate that. As far as the demand for western Nagaland is concerned, we appreciate that the people of eastern Nagaland have not received a fair share of resources for equitable development for the last few decades. We want to change this.
We recognise that there is a genuine issue and the BJP is committed to addressing the development deficit in eastern Nagaland under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the active interest that is being taken by the home ministry under Amit Shah ji.
Recently, there was a post on Twitter about a woman from Nagaland, who had put up a stall at the 36th edition Surajkund Mela in Faridabad, Haryana which concluded on February 9, complaining that the visitors made obnoxious remarks such as the people of the state ate dogs and snakes. Why has the complete mainstreaming of the people from the Northeast not happened yet?
Random incidents cannot be taken as the true and complete representation of fundamental changes that have happened in the last eight-nine years. PM Modi has made genuine attempts to mainstream the people from the Northeast. Whether it is internal development or the HIRA (highways, internet, railways and airways connectivity) model, Prime Minister Modi has tried to connect this part of the country with the rest of India. That is a genuine attempt to mainstreaming and this is just the development way.
The other approach is the cultural way. Every time Prime Minister Modi is here, he insists on wearing the traditional dresses of the people of this part of the country. The idea is to genuinely show acceptance and admiration of the unique culture of the people. So, Prime Minister Modi has made and continues to make genuine efforts to mainstream the people and the youth of Northeast completely acknowledge and accept this. There may be some random and stray incidents when people show lack of basic courtesy and understanding but that must not undermine the sincere and consistent efforts that have been made in this direction.
Why do you think Brand Modi has become a major attraction for voters of both Meghalaya and Nagaland?
The principal reasons for the popularity of Brand Modi are two – First, in Nagaland, Prime Minister Modi has established peace. As one is aware, the Nagaland insurgency movement is the oldest insurgency movement in the history of the country. But after almost 70 years, there has been peace and calm.
Second, Prime Minister Modi is extremely popular because throughout – particularly the Covid period – people have received free ration, vaccination, road connectivity has improved, Ayushman Bharat free healthcare scheme has been extremely popular and Jal Jeewan Mission has had a tremendous impact particularly on the lives of women folk. Because of all these reasons, people trust Modi ji. They are convinced that he will bring peace and development to Nagaland.
Meghalaya
After having ruled Meghalaya in alliance with chief minister Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP), why did the BJP break ties with it?
The BJP and NPP are contesting all 60 seats on their own. In fact, it is for the first time in the history of Meghalaya elections that the BJP will be contesting on all 60 seats. The people of Meghalaya are fed up with the Sangma dynasty, either it is Conrad Sangma or Mukul Sangma. There are four MLAs from one family. The people are also fed up with corruption and have made up their minds for a change.
Has not the BJP taken a huge risk by contesting alone because it had won just two seats in the 2018 assembly election?
We have assessed the groundswell for change and the favourable disposition for Modi ji, the trust and faith the people have in PM Modi, the conviction they have that the BJP can check corruption. The BJP has run a corruption-free government for nine years at the Centre. These are the bases on which we have made a decision.
What are the special achievements of the Modi government in the Northeast in the last eight years?
PM Modi has converted India’s ‘Look East Policy’ to a genuine ‘Act East Policy’. India has been talking about and various leaders have spoken about ‘Look East Policy’ for several years. But under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, for the first time, India has taken firm and consistent steps to mainstream the northeastern population.
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji in the last eight years has visited the Northeast more than 50 times. Let me remind you that this is more than all previous prime ministers put together. He is the only prime minister who has taken so much time for the North-east region. Each time that he has visited Northeast, he has visited with a development package.
In the famous HIRA (highways, internet, railways and airways) model, a very wide investment has taken place across all eight northeastern states to connect these areas better and provide basic amenities.
More than development, under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, North-east has witnessed an era of peace. Several peace accords have been signed which were pending for decades. Prime Minister Modi has established that the northeast is an essential and integral part of India. In the true sense, Prime Minister Modi has married regional aspirations of northeast with our national priorities.
Under home minister Amit Shah ji, in several parts of the northeast, almost 85 percent of AFSPA has been removed, bringing great relief to the North-east area. Similarly, under BJP president JP Nadda, a major expanse of the party has taken place in northeast. The BJP is ruling in four northeastern states. Our coalition governments are there in Nagaland and Sikkim.
Christians constitute a majority in both Meghalaya and Nagaland. The BJP is a rightist party perceived to be pro-Hindu. In such a situation, how does the party feel confident of victory in the two states?
There is a general perception that since Nagaland has more than 85 percent Christian population and Meghalaya has more than 75 percent Christian population, the acceptance of the BJP is not going to be established. But the message we are trying to convey here is very clear. The BJP is not anti-church or against any religion. The BJP is only against those who are anti-national. The BJP is inclusive. It believes in ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’.
Almost all our candidates – at least 75 – in the 80 seats (60 in Meghalaya and 20 in Nagaland) that we are contesting are Christians. Even the remaining five are non-Hindus. They believe in nature.
Secondly, people forget that Prime Minister Modi is not just building Hindu temples and Hindu corridors. Under his government, the PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme, which focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience, is also contributing heavily to the redevelopment of churches and Christian-supported institutions. People forget that when PM Modi runs his poverty alleviation programmes, he does not distinguish or discriminate between religion, gender, caste or tribe.
Also, sometimes people ignore the fact that when a very prominent church in Colombo was bombed by terrorists, Prime Minister Modi was the first and only global leader to fly all the way to the Sri Lankan capital to show solidarity with the people of that island country.
People also forget that the first time His Holiness Pope visited India was under BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And even now, Prime Minister Modi has invited His Holiness Pope Francis to visit India. Why would they do that if they were to check Christianity in India?
There is a lot of misinformation around that the BJP is trying to convert people to Hinduism, ban beef and the likes. The fact is that the BJP has not encroached upon anybody’s right to practice their religion or their personal food habits. These are cultural issues and the BJP has enough tolerance to accept and respect that. We have been clarifying all this.
Personally, I have met several church leaders across Turra, Shillong, Kohima and Mon. Most of them understand and appreciate that the BJP is being painted as communal or anti-Christian because of vested interests. People of Meghalaya and Nagaland understand that Modi ji genuinely believes in ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas’.
The opposition parties allege that the BJP opposes beef-eating in most parts of the country but remains silent over it in Goa and the northeastern states. What do you have to say about this?
We believe that food habits and religion are matters of personal choice. People are free to practice what they feel like. The BJP respects and understands the uniqueness of culture. One size does not fit all. Culture in several states of North cannot be comparable to the culture of Goa and the Northeast. Why should the same norm be applied all across the country? We recognise that the culture in the northern and the northeastern parts are not homogenous.
How confident is the BJP of victory in Meghalaya and Nagaland?
The BJP had two seats in the Meghalaya legislative assembly last time with 9.5 percent vote share. In 2023, the results of BJP in Meghalaya will surprise many. The people of Meghalaya are completely with Prime Minister Modi. They are fed up with corruption and dynastic politics. They are witnessing that Meghalaya is lagging behind in the rapid progress of north-eastern states which are governed by the BJP.
In Nagaland, last time we had 12 seats and 15 percent vote share. This time we are contesting 20 seats again in alliance with our alliance partner National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). We are very confident that the people of Nagaland have witnessed the impact of central schemes whether it is Jal Jeewan Mission, free rice, housing scheme or health care. We are very confident that the BJP will get more seats than ever in the history of Nagaland elections.
Nagaland
Why has no woman become an MLA in Nagaland since 1963?
It is quite clear that women are not adequately represented. Prime Minister Modi and the BJP have been conscious of this reality. To change the course, PM Modi nominated S Phangnon Konyak to Rajya Sabha. She is the first lady parliamentarian from Nagaland. Even now BJP has gone against the normal wisdom and put up Engineer Sema Kahuli as its candidate in one of the 20 seats. We obviously want to increase the representation of women in the Nagaland assembly. Now it is for the people of Nagaland to take a view of this matter.
Why has the BJP fielded only one woman candidate in 20 of the 60 seats it is contesting? Why not more?
There are several competing candidates. The election is about winnability.
The general sentiment in Nagaland is that the BJP has been able to install peace in the state in the last five years. They have also witnessed the sincerity with which PM Modi and his government have worked relentlessly through conversations and negotiations with all stakeholders to take the political issue of Naga peace to a conclusion.
The situation may not have been resolved completely but they have seen the genuine intent. People appreciate that. As far as the demand for western Nagaland is concerned, we appreciate that the people of eastern Nagaland have not received a fair share of resources for equitable development for the last few decades. We want to change this.
We recognise that there is a genuine issue and the BJP is committed to addressing the development deficit in eastern Nagaland under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the active interest that is being taken by the home ministry under Amit Shah ji.
Recently, there was a post on Twitter about a woman from Nagaland, who had put up a stall at the 36th edition Surajkund Mela in Faridabad, Haryana which concluded on February 9, complaining that the visitors made obnoxious remarks such as the people of the state ate dogs and snakes. Why has the complete mainstreaming of the people from the Northeast not happened yet?
Random incidents cannot be taken as the true and complete representation of fundamental changes that have happened in the last eight-nine years. PM Modi has made genuine attempts to mainstream the people from the Northeast. Whether it is internal development or the HIRA (highways, internet, railways and airways connectivity) model, Prime Minister Modi has tried to connect this part of the country with the rest of India. That is a genuine attempt to mainstreaming and this is just the development way.
The other approach is the cultural way. Every time Prime Minister Modi is here, he insists on wearing the traditional dresses of the people of this part of the country. The idea is to genuinely show acceptance and admiration of the unique culture of the people. So, Prime Minister Modi has made and continues to make genuine efforts to mainstream the people and the youth of Northeast completely acknowledge and accept this. There may be some random and stray incidents when people show lack of basic courtesy and understanding but that must not undermine the sincere and consistent efforts that have been made in this direction.
Why do you think Brand Modi has become a major attraction for voters of both Meghalaya and Nagaland?
The principal reasons for the popularity of Brand Modi are two – First, in Nagaland, Prime Minister Modi has established peace. As one is aware, the Nagaland insurgency movement is the oldest insurgency movement in the history of the country. But after almost 70 years, there has been peace and calm.
Second, Prime Minister Modi is extremely popular because throughout – particularly the Covid period – people have received free ration, vaccination, road connectivity has improved, Ayushman Bharat free healthcare scheme has been extremely popular and Jal Jeewan Mission has had a tremendous impact particularly on the lives of women folk. Because of all these reasons, people trust Modi ji. They are convinced that he will bring peace and development to Nagaland.
Meghalaya
After having ruled Meghalaya in alliance with chief minister Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP), why did the BJP break ties with it?
The BJP and NPP are contesting all 60 seats on their own. In fact, it is for the first time in the history of Meghalaya elections that the BJP will be contesting on all 60 seats. The people of Meghalaya are fed up with the Sangma dynasty, either it is Conrad Sangma or Mukul Sangma. There are four MLAs from one family. The people are also fed up with corruption and have made up their minds for a change.
Has not the BJP taken a huge risk by contesting alone because it had won just two seats in the 2018 assembly election?
We have assessed the groundswell for change and the favourable disposition for Modi ji, the trust and faith the people have in PM Modi, the conviction they have that the BJP can check corruption. The BJP has run a corruption-free government for nine years at the Centre. These are the bases on which we have made a decision.
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