Congress manifesto: Can Rahul Gandhi turn the tide in Northeast?
Much before the Congress released its election manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls on April 2, it was clear that the party would bank on the sentiment against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, to stop the BJP from winning the 25 Lok Sabha seats across the Northeast.
On March 2, the party manifesto said if the Congress comes to power, it will restore special category status to the Northeastern states and withdraw the bill. The manifesto also said the party will enhance financial assistance to the autonomous district councils.
The Northeast, especially Assam with 14 seats, could play a key role in the NDA coming back to power at the Centre. It is said BJP president Amit Shah aims to win 21 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the region, which has already become Congress-mukt. The BJP, in the last elections, won seven seats in Assam and one of the two in Arunachal Pradesh. In Assam, the BJP’s wins came mostly at the Congress’s expense, which slipped to just three seats.
However, facing major backlash in the wake of widespread protests against the bill from various ethnic groups, the BJP leadership is now seen as confusing the voters with contradictory statements on bill. While the BJP leadership, including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, during their recent visits to the region, kept mum on the crucial bill, Shah, when asked whether the citizenship bill was withdrawn because of “negative feedback from the region,” reportedly said the party will keep it in its manifesto. “By 2020, we will have majority (in Rajya Sabha). We will keep it in our manifesto. This is our commitment.”
During a visit to Assam in February, Shah had told a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha rally at Lakhimpur that Prime Minister Modi would re-introduce the bill in Parliament if the BJP returns to power. However, on March 31, union minister Kiren Rijiju added a twist to the imbroglio saying the bill will never be introduced in the Northeast, even if it was implemented in other states of the country.
Referring to Modi’s statements during his election rallies in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh that his government will protect the culture, tradition and interests of the people of the region, Rijiju said “such a categorical statement made by the Prime Minister means everything.”
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity adviser Akhil Gogoi, whose outfit was at the forefront of the protests against the bill last year and early January, has said there are enough reasons not to believe the union minister of state for home affairs, considering the fact that the BJP and the RSS are more committed to bringing the bill than anybody else, if voted back to power.
Various other groups, like the the All Assam Students’ Union, Asom Jatiyatavadi Yuva Chatra Parishad and other ethnic outfits, are of the view that Rijiju’s statement is a ploy to attract votes. When asked about Rijiju comments, a member of Assam BJP unit said it was an election time comment and one shouldn’t read much into it.
With the BJP refusing to make its stand on the bill clear, yet aggressively talking about illegal immigrants, this could be an opportunity for the Congress to shape the political narrative in their favour. The national party, so far, hasn’t been able to cash in on the anti-bill sentiments. The BJP, on the other hand, has managed to woo back estranged alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad, which had withdrawn from the ruling coalition over the bill. The saffron party has also brought into its fold prominent anti-Citizenship Bill voices, including the vice-president of All Assam Students’ Union Moni Madhab Mahanta and Ashini Chetia, who was adviser of the All Tai Ahom Students’ Union.
The controversial bill seeks to grant nationality to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan after six years of residence in India. It lapsed in the Rajya Sabha after strong objections from opposition parties.
