Northeast could face potential unrest like Manipur if RSS-BJP agenda continues: Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a candid interview, made direct attacks on the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) party in Nagaland and the BJP government. 

He claimed that the NDPP is filled with opportunists who are under the protection of ED, CBI, and others. 

According to Ramesh, the absence of opposition in Nagaland, with the exception of the Congress Party, is a threat to democracy. 

He alleged that the BJP, being the central government, has access to ED, CBI, and income tax and holds information on all political leaders of the state. 

He also accused the BJP of pushing for a one nation, one religion, one culture, one language, one election, one tax, one party, and one leader agenda, which he believes is a threat to the diversity and unity of the country. 

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The Congress leader also addressed the issue of Nagaland's statehood and the introduction of Article 371(a) into the Constitution in 1963 which protects Naga rights and customs. 

He criticized Prime Minister Modi's government for signing a framework agreement with the NSCN(IM) in 2015, and for making promises to different groups in 2017 and 2023, which he described as a tactic of bluff and rule.

"Mr Modi's philosophy is bluff and rule...he bluffed the people in 2015 then he bluffed a different set of people in 2017 and again in 2023...so in nine years we do not know the details of the agreement," he added.

Speaking about the Manipur violence, Ramesh claimed that that what has happened in Manipur is just a trailer of what will happen in the rest of the northeast if the RSS-BJP continues the way it has.

"What has happened in Manipur is the consequences of imposing a majoritarian agenda of uniformity and the same is happening in Nagaland with respect to framework agreement in different stages," said Ramesh.