Dimapur, March 11 (MExN): The Congress party has castigated the ruling DAN Government for its “miserable failure” on all fronts and has questioned the government as to whether it is serving the people or personal interests. AICC Secretary (Nagaland) Sanjay Bapna said the Centre is pumping in hundreds of crores of rupees for development of Nagaland. However, in comparison to other states ruled by the Congress, development in Nagaland is ‘almost nil.’ He urged the people to check corrupt practices and corruption of the government through the Right to Information Act (RTI).

Rural Schemes
The Congress leader referred to schemes such as NREGA, PMGSY, RTI and SSA. Bapna said they were introduced by the Congress-led UPA government to empower the people. India is the only country in the entire world which guarantees legal right to its citizens for 100 days of employment in a year under the NREGA, he said. It was stated that if a citizen remains unemployed, the government pays the unemployed citizen unemployment wages equivalent to the amount that particular citizen would have earned in 100 days if he were employed.
Also addressing the people, CLP leader Tokheho Yepthomi came down heavily on the NPF-led DAN government which he termed ‘business-minded.’ He alleged that the NREGA is being grossly misused. Citing an instance, he said VDB secretaries and village council chairmen were made to sign on blank Actual Payment Receipts (APRs).
Due to these corrupt practices, villages are hardly getting 20-30 percent of the actual amount sanctioned. The rest are being pocketed by the ruling ministers and MLAs, he said.

Coal, Sugar scams and CBI probe
On the coal scam, Tokheho said that while Nagaland needs only 7000 Metric Tonnes of coal annually, the DAN sent a requirement figure of 50,000 MT which was diverted to Punjab state for sale. When the coal reached Ludhiana Railway Station, there was no place to store the coal which prompted the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly to complain to the Prime Minister in writing. Accordingly, the CBI filed a case and investigation is on, the CLP leader informed.
Referring to the Sugar Mill Voluntary Retirement Scheme scam amounting to the tune of 1 crore 23 lakhs, he informed that the case is currently under investigation. The former Industries Minister and current Rajya Sabha MP including one Deputy Director, Industries & Commerce have been charge-sheeted in the case. They were out on bail citing “health grounds,” he said.
He also referred to the Food Processing Unit established in Dimapur. The CLP leader said that the land acquired for the unit was a total area of 44 ‘bighas’ which he termed as excessive. “The same unit was allotted in the name of the son of the then Industries Minister. Now it is being leased out to the son of another ruling politician,” he said.
Condemning the state government for nepotism and preferential treatment accorded to certain districts and constituencies, the CLP leader said the government is meant to be for the people and not any particular district or constituencies. He expressed regret that under the DAN’s governance, certain areas in the Chief Minister’s constituency were being upgraded to ADC Hqs and EAC Hqs while other areas were neglected. He said that the state is still short of 69 EACs. The CLP leader questioned whether the chief minister was the chief minister of Nagaland ‘or only his own constituency.’ Neiphiu Rio is criticized for taking decisions ‘on his own’ instead of doing so through “cabinet memos.” “The DAN Govt is a one man show,” Yepthomi said. It was disclosed that in 2004, the then Finance Minister had put forward a surplus budget of Rs. 18 crore. “However, after the chief minister took over Finance in May 2005, the total deficit stands at 700 crore till date,” the CLP leader disclosed.

NPSC – the DAN connection
The chief minister is unable to keep a check on tainted members in his government Tokheho said and cited the NPSC answer script-swapping case where two sons of a parliamentary secretary from Zunheboto district were named in the scandal. Challenging the people to rise up against the wrongdoings of the DAN, the CLP Leader said, “If we sleep over the DAN’s corruption and misrule, it will be tantamount to abetting the wrongdoings of the government.”
Also, NPCC President I Imkong called for concerted efforts towards strengthening the party at all levels. “You are the eyes and ears of the Congress party. You should inform us of the misdeeds of the DAN government so that we can take up your grievances at the highest level,” he said.
All the speakers congratulated the women of Nagaland and the country for the Women Reservation Bill being passed in the Rajya Sabha. As per 33% Women Reservation, the Nagaland Legislative Assembly is set to see 20 women MLAs from the next 12th Legislative Assembly onwards. The issue of women reservation had been pending in Parliament for the last 13 years.

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