Following a request from the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, the Janajati Suraksha Manch has postponed its December 25 rally seeking to remove the Scheduled Tribe status of the converted tribals. The proposed rally will now be held on December 26.
This rally, which was initially scheduled on Christmas, drew criticism from the Opposition, including TIPRA Motha, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Congress. They deemed it "unconstitutional" and "divisive." Even the BJP’s ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, has opposed the rally.
The rally was scheduled on December 25 after getting permission from the state administration. The question arises: why did the administration initially allow the rally on Christmas? It seems that the Chief Minister later realised that the JSM rally on Christmas would send a wrong signal to the Christians of the state and the northeastern region. So, the timely intervention by Saha to convince the JSM to postpone its rally to December 26 was a welcome initiative. Although, even after the schedule change, the opposition parties are still critical of the JSM rally.
Tripura's History Of Forceful Conversions
Let’s not forget that the northeastern state of Tripura has a history of forceful conversions — and it was the terrorist outfit Nationalist Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) that was at the forefront. A BBC report from 2000 said, “The NLFT is accused of forcing Tripura's indigenous tribes to become Christians and give up Hindu forms of worship in areas under their control. Last year, they issued a ban on the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja. The NLFT manifesto says that they want to expand what they describe as the kingdom of God and Christ in Tripura.”
NLFT terrorists had banned the use of musical instruments by Hindu tribals for performing kirtans. On August 27, 2000, a leading Hindu saint, Shanti Kali Maharaj, or Shanti Kali Tripura, was killed by the NLFT terrorists for refusing to convert to Christianity and for propagating Hinduism among the tribals.
This shows how terrorist outfits like NLFT, in the name of working for tribal interests, had actually divided the tribals by bringing the religious angle and didn’t mind shedding the blood of Hindu tribals only for practising Hinduism.
Ex-MLA's Murder Sparks Protests In Arunachal Pradesh
The murder of former Congress legislator Yumsen Matey in the Naga-dominated Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh just ahead of the assembly election is a worrying sign. It is suspected that terrorists belonging to the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (K Ang Mai) faction are behind this brutal attack. The former legislator, who was elected as a Congress legislator in the 2009 state elections from the Khonsa West constituency, joined the BJP in 2015 and was aspiring to contest the same seat as the saffron party candidate.
The killing of the legislator has resulted in protests in the state, with the All Arunachal Students’ Union demanding a thorough probe. The opposition Congress has also demanded a Central Bureau Investigation and National Investigation Agency level probe. Realizing the growing demand for a probe, the state government has now decided to hand over the case to the NIA. In recent times, there have been cases of kidnapping in Longding and Tirap districts by suspected NSCN(KYA) terrorists. Such cases raise serious questions about law and order in these districts of the state. The state BJP government led by Pema Khandu has the responsibility to ensure the security of the common people.
Assam Congress Worried About AIUDF
The Assam unit of Congress is worried about the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front, as reflected in the statement of the state party president Bhupen Kumar Borah. At a public meeting in western Assam’s Bilasipara this week, he asked the people to reject Ajmal first in Dhubri Lok Sabha seat if the BJP has to be defeated. He claimed that a vote for AIUDF translates into two votes for the BJP.
Importantly, in order to stop the BJP in the state, the grand old party had allied with AIUDF in the 2021 state elections. This alliance, however, backfired as the majority of Hindus didn’t accept the Congress’s friendship with the predominantly Muslim party — AIUDF. As a result, Congress had to break its friendship with AIUDF, but it is still worried as the latter enjoys good support among Muslims, who account for 34% of the state population. Left with no option, the current strategy of the grand old party is to portray AIUDF as a B-team of BJP to win the Muslim voters supporting Ajmal’s party.
Ajit Pawar's NCP Eyes Northeast
This week, the former working president of the Arunachal Pradesh unit of the National People’s Party, Likha Saaya, was made the chief of the state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) faction. Recently, Likha resigned from the NPP, dissatisfied with the party central leadership’s (read Meghalaya chief minister and party’s national president Conrad Sangma) unenthusiastic approach towards the affairs of the party units of other northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
A rally from Donyi Polo airport to Nirjuli was also held to mark the initiation of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP in the northeastern state. In the rally, along with Likha Saaya, senior leaders of the party, including former union minister Subodh Baburao Mohite and the party’s national general secretary and in charge of northeast Sanjay Prajapati, were present.
The undivided NCP, which lost the national party status this year, had won seats in the state in the past. Last time, it won seats in the 2009 state elections when five of its candidates tasted victory, and the party registered a vote share of 19.33%. Not only Arunachal Pradesh, the party had a good presence in other northeastern states. Particularly, in Meghalaya, it had a strong presence in the Garo hills, but after the formation of NPP, it declined in the state and the region. However, this year in the Nagaland state elections, the party won 7 seats — the best performance by the party in the state till today.
Since then, the party has gone through a split, with Ajit Pawar deciding to form a separate faction from the parent faction led by veteran Sharad Pawar. The former is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. After the split, the Ajit faction has been trying to strengthen itself. In Nagaland, all the legislators have pledged to support the Ajit faction. The assembly elections are four months away in the northeastern state, and by inducting Likha Saaya into the party and making him the state unit president, the party is trying to attempt to increase its foothold in the state as well as the region.
Manik Saha’s Intervention To Reschedule JSM Rally On Christmas In Tripura A Welcome Move
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24.12.2023
Following a request from the Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, the Janajati Suraksha Manch has postponed its December 25 rally seeking to remove the Scheduled Tribe status of the converted tribals. The proposed rally will now be held on December 26.
This rally, which was initially scheduled on Christmas, drew criticism from the Opposition, including TIPRA Motha, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Congress. They deemed it "unconstitutional" and "divisive." Even the BJP’s ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, has opposed the rally.
The rally was scheduled on December 25 after getting permission from the state administration. The question arises: why did the administration initially allow the rally on Christmas? It seems that the Chief Minister later realised that the JSM rally on Christmas would send a wrong signal to the Christians of the state and the northeastern region. So, the timely intervention by Saha to convince the JSM to postpone its rally to December 26 was a welcome initiative. Although, even after the schedule change, the opposition parties are still critical of the JSM rally.
Tripura's History Of Forceful Conversions
Let’s not forget that the northeastern state of Tripura has a history of forceful conversions — and it was the terrorist outfit Nationalist Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) that was at the forefront. A BBC report from 2000 said, “The NLFT is accused of forcing Tripura's indigenous tribes to become Christians and give up Hindu forms of worship in areas under their control. Last year, they issued a ban on the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja. The NLFT manifesto says that they want to expand what........
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