BJP-RSS keen to adopt one ideology in India; MNF, ZPM helping them enter Mizoram: Rahul

Aizawl: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the BJP and RSS are keen to adopt one ideology in India and also alleged that Mizoram's ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and the opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) were instrumental for their entry into the northeastern state

Addressing reporters here, the Congress MP, who arrived in Mizoram on Monday on a two-day visit, urged people not to vote for the BJP, MNF and the ZPM in the interest of protecting their religion, culture and languages.

“MNF and ZPM are the entry points and platform for RSS and BJP in Mizoram,” he said.

The senior leader went blamed unemployment as the main reason for the increasing drug abuse cases in state.

“We need to create better and alternate opportunities for the youths. Through the small and medium enterprises, a large number of youths can economically empower themselves,” he said, adding that the Congress will return to power in Mizoram and defeat the BJP in the northeastern region like it did in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

Rahul Gandhi went on to say that the BJP wanted centralisation of power and to control Mizoram from New Delhi, but the Congress wanted the people of Mizoram to take their own decisions to govern.

“We do not believe that Mizoram should be ruled directly from the Centre. Like other states in India we are developing a vision for Mizoram. Your religion and traditions are under attack. We want the people of Mizoram to defend their culture, language and religion,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the upcoming November 7 Assembly election the state is about protecting the idea and culture of Mizoram from the BJP-RSS onslaught.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that other states in the northeast were also being attacked by the BJP-RSS.

Referring to his visit to violence-hit Manipur in June, the Congress leader said that the BJP is using local parties to adopt the RSS ideology in Manipur.

“For the first time in my political career, I saw in Manipur that the state is sharply divided in ethnic lines. Meiteis are not going to Kuki areas and the Kuki people are not going to Meitei inhabited areas.

"So the politics of division and hatred has created a division and it needs to be repaired. I wanted to highlight during my Manipur visit that hatred politics of BJP needs to be removed and that was my point on my Manipur visit.

“I still cannot understand, it's a puzzle to me why for months when Manipur has been burning, Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) did not visit the state though as a leader of the country it was his primary responsibility to visit Manipur," he added.