Mizoram: Jairam Ramesh criticizes BJP's UCC agenda, party trying to fragment India along linguistic, ethnic lines

Jairam Ramesh, chairman of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), emphasized the pivotal role of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Aizawl, Mizoram for safeguarding India's democracy, stressing its immense value to the nation today.

Addressing the media in Aizawl, Ramesh voiced strong criticism against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing them of attempting to enforce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) that would potentially fragment India along linguistic and ethnic lines. In contrast, he highlighted the Congress party's commitment to fostering national unity.

"India is a diverse nation with various languages and cultures. The BJP's pursuit of a UCC under the banner of One Nation, One Religion, and One Language is aimed at erasing the unique identities of different linguistic and ethnic groups," Ramesh stated.

He further remarked on recent events in Manipur, where the BJP allegedly evaded accountability for troubling incidents, citing this as indicative of the BJP's divisive tactics.

Ramesh also drew attention to the repeal of Article 370 and speculated on potential threats to Article 370(G), which safeguards the identity, culture, land, and nationhood of the Mizos.

Turning to international relations, Ramesh criticized the BJP government and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar for allegedly scapegoating Myanmar for internal conflicts in India. He also condemned the central government's decision to terminate the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar.

In addition to his critique, Ramesh unveiled the Congress party's manifesto, which includes key promises:

1. Creation of 30 lakh government jobs for youth, along with stipends for college degree and diploma holders.
2. Ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers' tobacco, loan waivers, and exemption from Goods and Services Tax (GST).
3. Guaranteeing women's pensions of Rs. 1,00,000 annually and reserving fifty percent of government jobs for women.
4. Increasing daily wages for laborers to ₹400 and providing healthcare coverage of up to Rs. 25 lakh per day under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
5. Expedited processing of Socio-Economic Caste Census and Forest Rights Act (FRA) applications within one year.