The Naga Rising has on Monday said that the upcoming Lok Sabha Election is a moment for the people of Nagaland to send a strong message that they “stand for freedom and democracy”. Noting the foresight and vision of the elders, who defended freedom and birthright of the Naga people while demonstrating the spirit of unity, TNR stressed that people “must guard against forces detrimental to our future.”

In its statement, The Naga Rising underscored that “freedom and democracy must be defended at all costs”. “Our aspiration as a community to develop according to our own genius, to uphold our God given sovereignty over land and resources; protecting our identity and political rights as a people should not be compromised,” it stated.

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TNR said that India is slowly moving towards becoming a Hindu Rashtra (or Hindu Nation), which is the fear and concern of the churches in Nagaland, and maintained that it is “high time to voice out against all attempts to establish a Hindu cultural hegemony in the guise of politics and development.”

Further, expressing apprehensions on the controversial Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which the BJP has promised in its 2024 manifesto, The Naga Rising affirmed that it “supports the ideals and values on which the Republic of India was founded.”

The time-honoured principle of ‘unity in diversity’, which in many ways reflects India’s approach to democracy, federalism (State rights), and religious freedom must be upheld, it said, adding that no force should be allowed to subvert the ideals on which India was founded.