CAB will wipe out identity and existence of minorities in North-East: NPCC President K Therie

Kohima, April 9, 2019:

Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President K Therie on Tuesday came down heavily on the BJP Government in the wake of the release of its pre-election Manifesto on Monday.

In a statement, the Congress leader said: "The BJP Election manifesto is anti-Minority and anti-Diversity. It commits to passing the Citizenship Amendment Bill. It also assures to remove article 370 and 35A from the Constitution of India. If this is done, Art 371(A) will also be in danger of meeting a similar fate. It further assures construction of Ram Mandir, we have no objection. We only want freedom of religion."

"BJP's assurance to pass CAB is with intent to wipe out the identity and existence of minorities particularly in the Northeast. PDA’s plea that Art.371(A) and ILP will protect Nagaland is incorrect. If CAB is passed, no one can stop granting citizenship. Once citizenship is granted before the Constitution of India, they will have equal rights and opportunities. We cannot stop them from granting vote. The immigrants will come in crores. With such voting power, they will also have the power to elect representatives and since the decision-making process is by the majority, in a few decades, we will have no place and will be reduced to a minority in our own land as has happened with the indigenous Tripuri people. If the PDA’s decision to oppose CAB is honest and they are sincere, PDA candidate should resign from contesting to prove their commitment and sincerity", read the communique.

"Nagaland voters, this election vote is for you, for your future and for our future generations", he added.

The Lok Sabha election for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland will be held on 11 April.