Upset over BJP vision document remark, Northeast demands unconditional apology

“We have been fighting against the onslaught of immigrants for the past 35 years, and here is a political party – and that too the ruling party – which has termed the people of the Northeast as immigrants. How can we tolerate this? This is nothing but blatant insult to the Northeast. The BJP must tender an unconditional apology and it should come from the top, from the prime minister’s level,” said All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya. He is also advisor to the North-East Students’ Organisation (NESO).

In Shillong, NESO president Samuel Jyrwa too echoed the same sentiment. “When they wanted votes for Lok Sabha they made tall promises of throwing out the immigrants from Northeast. Now they have called us immigrants. This can’t be simply tolerated,” Jyrwa said.

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora said such a statement coming from the ruling party at the Centre will only further alienate the region. “Our stand that everybody in Delhi has the same perception about the Northeast has been vindicated. We have been telling from day one that there is no difference between the Congress and BJP. The damage done is irreparable,” Bora said.

Assam state AAP leader Manoram Gogoi recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing the eight Northeastern states as “asta-lakshmi” (eight goddesses of wealth) during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. “The same party that had described the region as asta-lakshmi has now called us immigrants. This is terrible,” Gogoi said.

Protests have been raised across the region, from Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh to Kohima in Nagaland to Aizawl in Mizoram and Agartala in Tripura. “We vehemently condemn the BJP for making such a gross irresponsible statement. This has hurt all of us, and proved that the promise for bringing about a law to protect people of the Northeast in other parts of the country was only crocodile’s tears,” said Asom Jatiyabadi Yuva-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) president Manoj Barua.