Itanagar: Taking potshots at Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju for his recent remarks on the country’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki today said that such remarks have insulted 12 crore tribals of India.
“Nehru was the only leader who protected the tribals and gave them their rights, including this tribal dominated state, for which the tribals highly respect him but Rijiju’s comment amounted to insulting 12 crore tribals of India,” Tuki said.
The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister accused Rijiju of trying to divert the attention of the masses from his ministry’s failure to tackle prevailing communal tension across the country.
“Complete failure to tackle prevailing communal tension across the country, which is the responsibility of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Rijiju has been trying to divert the attention of the masses,” he added.
Stating that Nehru had sacrificed his family and life for the nation, Tuki said, “no right thinking Indian can think ill of him for his everlasting love for India, particularly the downtrodden section.”
“Nehru is immortal and beyond criticism and the fate of India lies in following the enlightened path shown by Chacha Nehru,” Tuki added.
Echoing similar views, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi yesterday accused Rijiju of trying to spread “false propaganda” by saying that Jawaharlal Nehru had “let the people of Northeast region down during the 1962 Indo-China war”.
“Jawaharlal Nehru didn’t surrender the country at the time of Chinese aggression as made out to be by Rijiju. Nehru didn’t let the people down and was with them during that critical juncture,” Gogoi had said in a statement.
“Does Nehru, who was a patriot to the core and a staunch nationalist, require a certificate from Rijiju who is a turncoat with no contribution to the development of his own state? Rijiju must keep in mind that it was during the Congress rule that Arunachal Pradesh came into being and several developmental activities carried out,” he added.
The Assam Chief Minister further said that it was during the Congress regime that Arunachal Pradesh was carved out and the state had marched on the path of progress and prosperity since then.
“What did the previous NDA regime do for Arunachal? Even how many ministers of the present dispensation at the Centre have visited Arunachal and more importantly contributed towards its development?” he questioned.
Gogoi also asked Rijiju to desist from spreading canards against Nehru and to concentrate on his immediate task to contain the divisive forces that threaten to tear the social fabric. (ANI)