AIZAWL: The commitment of the Congress to population-linked distribution of Central funds would deprive the tribal people of the northeast of their right to resources, Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said in poll-bound Mizoram on October 31.
“By insisting on jitni abadi, utna haq, [Congress leader] Rahul Gandhi has underlined his party’s commitment to allocating funds according to the population size. This means the tribal people across the hills of the northeast will not get anything if the Congress comes to power,” he told journalists in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl.
“Leave apart Assam, the tribal people of the hills of the northeast account for less than 0.5% of India’s population. This means if the Congress distributes funds as per Rahul Gandhi’s commitment, we will not get anything substantial,” Mr. Rijiju said, urging the Mizo people to ask the Congress why it was bent upon neglecting the tribal people of the region.
Mr. Rijiju, also in-charge of the BJP’s campaign in Mizoram, hinted at the ruling Mizo National Front failing to implement the Central schemes properly in the State. “We need the BJP in the government so that the Central schemes can succeed totally,” he said.
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The MNF is a constituent of the BJP-fronted National Democratic Alliance at the Centre but are rivals in Mizoram. It is the only State in the northeast where the BJP has not ruled or been a part of the government.
