Rahul Gandhi accuses Mizoram parties of acting as tools furthering BJP-RSS interests

Guwahati: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and opposition Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM) in Mizoram  are working as tools to facilitate the entry of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)  and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in to the Christian-majority north-eastern state.

Mr Gandhi who was on his two-day long visit to the state told reporters in Aizawl, “...MNF (which is part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre) is directly linked to BJP... ZPM has said it will work with the BJP. Both these parties are entry points for the BJP and RSS in Mizoram.”

In his continued tirade against BJP, Mr Gandhi said that the BJP and the RSS were trying to spread an authoritarian and centralised system.

Asserting that Congress is standing against their ideology Mr Gandhi said that the Congress believes that all religions and cultures must be protected. “That is also what our alliance INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) believes in. It is important to realise that our alliance represents 60% of India.”

Mr Gandhi said that they represent more people than the BJP.

Referring to the divisive ideology of RSS, Mr Gandhi said that the larger question was whether RSS would control Mizoram. “We oppose them and will fight them tooth and nail. People of Mizoram know that and that is why I am confident the Congress will form the next government in Mizoram,” said the Congress leader.

The Congress lost power to the MNF in its last bastion in the northeast in 2018 and managed to get just five seats in the 40-member assembly. MNF won 26 seats, ZPM eight, and the BJP one.

He also highlighted social security schemes in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Karnataka and added they believe in testing them at the state level. Mr Gandhi said that they will implement them across the country when it comes to power at the Centre next year.

“For Mizoram, we have plans such as ₹2000 as an old-age pension, LPG gas cylinders at ₹750, and economic empowerment schemes for entrepreneurs and people who have struggled,” said Mr Gandhi, who was due to depart for Delhi via Agartala after addressing a public meeting in Lunglei on Tuesday.

Earlier, embarking upon day two of his visit to Mizoram, Mr Gandhi on Tuesday met the former Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla.

The Congress MP rode a pillion on a two-wheeler to reach the residence of Thanhawla.

Mizoram is the smallest of the five states going to the polls next month. . The ruling MNF and the Congress have dominated politics in Mizoram. The Congress was in power from 2008 to 2018.