Aizawl : With less than a week left for the Mizoram Assembly polls, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) leader Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appealed to the voters of Mizoram to vote for her party in the November 7 assembly elections.
In a video message, Gandhi also cautioned voters of the state against the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) which, she said, are “gateways” for the BJP in the northeastern state.
“This is no time for experiments and please do vote for the Congress party, the hand of experience and the hand of security,” Gandhi said and made a personal appeal especially to the youth and the women, saying the Congress is the hand of experience and security.
“Please do vote for the Congress party, the hand of experience and the hand of security,” the veteran Congress leader appealed.
Reminiscing her personal bond with the people of Mizoram, Gandhi mentioned the visits she made with her husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to Mizoram.
“You all know I am sure that Mizoram occupies a very special place in my heart. I visited many times over the years. Your customs and culture, the beauty and richness of your land have left a deep impression on me. Above all I have never forgotten your warmth and affection.
“I remember with great fondness particularly the visit with my family right after the signing of the historic Mizo Peace Accord on June 30, 1986. The Accord is celebrated every year as Remna Ni,” Gandhi said.
Launching a frontal attack on the BJP and the RSS, the CPP leader claimed that, “democracy is under threat from the BJP and RSS in Mizoram, in the northeast and across India”.
“They (BJP-RSS) value neither diversity, nor democracy nor dialogue. They want to impose uniformity across India. The BJP forces laws in parliament which weaken the rights of tribals to the lands and forests and does not even allow the Mizoram MP to speak,” Gandhi said.
“In Manipur, the BJP has divided society bitterly. Six months of suffering have gone by, but there is no effort towards peace and reconciliation. The Prime Minister is completely silent and has not seen it fit to visit Manipur for even a few hours,” she further said.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being silent on the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur, the Congress leader said, “In Manipur, six months of suffering has gone by, but there is no effort towards peace and reconciliation. The Prime Minister is completely silent and has not seen it fit to visit Manipur for even a few hours.”
In Mizoram, Gandhi claimed, “the MNF and the ZPM say they are independent, but are they really? No, I believe they are not. They are gateways for the BJP into Mizoram. The Congress party will never compromise with the BJP.”
Gandhi also claimed that only the Congress can guarantee the development of Mizoram, empowerment for its people, and protection for the weakest in society.
“Our track record in government shows that we deliver on our guarantees – as you have seen in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal. But most of all, we stand for the protection of the Mizo way of life as enshrined in Article 371-G of the Constitution of India, which is the legacy of Rajiv Gandhi.”
