BJP is anti-poor, anti-minorities: Gaikhangam
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 10 2018:
Ex-Deputy Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) Member Gai-khangam has asserted that BJP is the biggest political party which is antagonistic to all underprivileged people and minorities including Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.
He was speaking at a State level political conference of Congress party's ST leaders and workers held today at Congress Bhavan.
The conference was organised by Adivasi Congress Department under the aegis of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC).
On the contrary, Congress party believes in inclusive growth where all communities and every citizen of the country can enjoy their rights and opportunities, Gaikhangam claimed.
A few political parties other than Congress have been campaigning that there should be neither majority nor minority in the country and there should not be any religious distinction.
Their ideology dictates that all minorities, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes should be merged into the majority community if they wish to live as Indian citizens.
This majoritarian ideology says that minority communities should discard their traditions, culture and identity and embrace the identity and culture of the majority community when they merge with the majority community, Gaikhangam said.
BJP is the principal propagandist of this ideology and they have already published volumes of books based on this ideology and they have been spreading the same ideology through seminars, he asserted.
He said that there was no caste system at any point of time in the history of Manipur.
ST or SC status was determined based on the response of the people to the Parliamentary Committee after India achieved independence.
It was Rahul Gandhi which upgraded the party's ST Cell to Adivasi Congress Department in the interest of Adivasi people, said the CWC Member.
It is a misfortune for all the people that BJP which is antagonistic to Adivasi people is in power both in the State and the Centre.
BJP's deceits and illusions will not last long.
It is time for the emergence of truth and truth will triumph over deceit, he continued.
All the people of the North East region particularly Manipur were elated when the Narendra Modi Government renamed Look East Policy as Act East Policy and it everybody felt that the Modi Government would translate the same policy into action but many development projects and welfare schemes have been terminated.
At the end, Act East Policy has turned out to be 'Kill East Policy", the ex-Deputy Chief Minister remarked.
Emulating the Modi Government, the State Government launched Go to Hills and Go to Village campaigns which look very impressive but bereft of any substance.
By launching Go to ills and Go to Village campaigns, the State Government only usurped the functions and responsibilities of ADCs, Zilla Parishads and urban local bodies, he said.
It appears that social media are flooded by claims that Go to Hills and Go to Village campaigns have brought the masses and the Government together.
But a closer look revealed that all these claims are made by BJP supporters, he said.
While hailing the incumbent Government for constructing market sheds at hill district headquarters one after another, the ex-Deputy Chief Minister claimed that the same project was initiated by the Congress Government.
Saying that all ST members of Congress must leanr certain lessons at this juncture, Gaikhangam called upon all the ST members of Congress party not to do anything which may forfeit the trust of all ST, SC and minority people for they always love and support Congress party.
He urged all ST leaders and workers of Congress party to support and join the efforts of Rahul Gandhi.
MPCC president TN Haokip, MP Thangso Baite, MLA RK Imo, ex-MLAs Preshow Shimray, Victor Keishing and other Congress leaders too spoke at the conference.