Naga BJP leader says ‘Jai Shri Ram’ no license to persecute minorities

Dimapur, Jan. 23 (EMN): Minister for Higher & Technical Education and Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along has stated that “when somebody shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram,’” (sic) it doesn’t give them any right to commit atrocities against minorities. Rather, the Nagaland Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president said, ‘We should treat people with respect and love as we would want them to treat us in the same way.’

The ‘media officer’ of Nagaland state BJP unit issued a press release on Thursday informing about a programme during which the minister is said to have given the statement. Along addressed the 40th general conference of the Rengma Students’ Union on Thursday, the press release stated.

According to the press release, the minister asserted that ‘we need to come to a developed state of mind in order to build a robust state.’ Along opined, according to the press release, that “when somebody shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’, it doesn’t give them any right to commit atrocities against the minorities, and that is what the Nagaland state BJP will always stands for.”

Likewise, the press release quoted him as having said, “when somebody yelled ‘Allah Hu Akbar’,” (sic) it doesn’t give them the right to kill people of other faiths.

“So also is with the Nagas,” he added, the press release stated. “When we say ‘Hallelujah! Praise the Lord,’ it doesn’t give us the right to become judgmental of people from other faith.”

‘Rather, we should treat people with respect and love as we would want them to treat us in the same way,’ the press release read.

The minister urged the students’ community to rise up to the occasion and be sincere and committed as they are the future leaders of the state. They were urged to strive for a peaceful, strong Nagaland, the press release stated.

In other matters, the minister asserted that the Rengmas are a hardworking people, and ‘good leaders’ have emerged from the tribe ‘who were known for their loyalty to serve the Nagas in different capacities.’

The BJP leader urged the students to ‘emulate those qualities of their past leaders as their driving force in their endeavour to reach higher goals in life,’ adding that ‘what we are today will determine  what we will become in the future.’

The minister was stated to have ‘lamented at the present state of the Nagas where we seemed to have lost our goals and have become short cut people where we don’t sit together to debate with reason but has become judgemental in our approaches, filled with egoistic attitudes.’

Another matter that the minister expressed regret for was about people “remaining silent and paving way for anti social elements and mushrooming of unions and numerous organisations where disintegration of social scenarios have become the order of the day.”

‘A time has come for the Nagas to ask questions on why they are asked to shut down their shops, or why numerous agitations are taking place,’ he said.

“Battles and wars cannot be won by tactics alone. They have to be built on strategies. And a strategy to build our people as a strong Naga entity, should be an endeavour for all of us,” Along said, according to the press release.