‘NPF will be held responsible for all irregularities committed in the last 71/2 years of its rule’
Dimapur, August 8 (MExN): The Congress Legislature Party Leader has stated that the rejoinder issued by NPF Press and Media Bureau was without substance and full of self-contradictions. The statements were not specific to the points raised by the CLP Leader, stated a press note issued by Tokheho Yepthomi Leader of Opposition & CLP Leader.
Stating that when the NPF had no answer to the facts and figures given by opposition, the Congress pointed out that “they are in the habit of saying, he doesn’t know”. The Congress stated that the NPF should not think the opposition bench was totally ignorant of the subject matter on budget while oblivious of its own ignorance.
“The NPF Press and Media Bureau should come out in detail where the opposition leader failed to understand budgetary documents and figures. It is obvious that it does not even know the amount of deficit and accumulated loan outstanding taken by the State Govt”, the CLP Leader press note stated while adding that the “NPF shall be held responsible for all irregularities committed in the last 71/2 years of its rule”.
The CLP leader stated that since the State Govt. had dispatched additional police and paramilitary forces to Pungro area much before the situation worsened, this had exposed its motive as it “tried to impose its will on the people with its anti-people policy and program despite knowing the prevailing situation”. The NPF-led DAN govt. tried all means at its disposal to stage the road-show at Pungro town against the will of the people till the situation reached the boiling point, the CLP Leader stated.
The Nagaland Civil Services Association (NCSA)’s condemnation on the reported assault on Murohu Chotso, ADC Pungro who miraculously escaped when the mob tried to chop him with dao and the damage of his vehicle beyond repair proved the gravity of the situation, it stated adding that the DAN government did not call-off the show because it respected the peoples’ sentiments but because it was forced upon.
The CLP Leader reiterated that the people of Nagaland are against the road-shows because of the “evils associated with it”. “The economic loss in terms of man-days lost by what they called, ‘mass participation’ for preparations before and after the shows, drinking liquor of all brands, eating and merry-making during celebration time far exceed the gains it claimed in this 2 to 3 days extravaganza”, stated the Congress. The Opposition Leader pointed out that this was not part of Naga culture and that celebrations should come only after bountiful harvest and not when the State is in the mess of a deficit that had touched 50% of its planned budget.
The Congress statement also wanted to know from the NPF as to what it meant by “alien culture the national parties have been trying to impose on Naga society”. In this regard it was pointed out that the NPF-led DAN govt. was part of NDA govt. in the last tenure. The NCP and erstwhile BJP; the national parties, are part of the present NPF-led DAN govt. It is extending unsolicited support to the UPA – II govt. Further more “it wanted its party to have a national outlook, so much so that, it had re-christened its nomenclature to Naga Peoples’ Party”. “After all these attempts to transform itself to a national political party, it is amusing to see the NPF party trying to compose itself as the champion of Naga identity by boasting of its narrow regional identity”, it was stated. The CLP Leader wanted the NPF to specify in what aspect and respect the national parties have failed to preserve the identity of the Nagas.
According to the CLP Leader during the last Parliamentary election the NPF party alleged in its campaign trails that Congress party was dividing the Naga undergrounds to fight among themselves and kill each other and divide over-ground NGOs and that they openly canvassed that the Congress party should be rooted out both in the State and in Delhi. “However, when the Parliamentary election result was declared on May 16, 2009, without wasting time, the NPF forced two BJP MLAs to join NPF and air-dashed to Delhi on May 17, 2009 and extended their lone Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs to support UPA Govt”.
The Congress leader also stated that the Opposition walk-out in the last assembly session was a peaceful democratic protest against the failure of the DAN govt and that the opposition party had made it clear that it was walking out because various departments headed by Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries (PRs) had failed to give satisfactory answers to the starred and un-starred questions posed by the opposition. “The Chief Minister, as the leader of the house was expected to take appropriate action against the non-performing departments headed by Ministers and PRs and not merely rescue them by taking on their roles”, the CLP Leader noted.
The Congress reminded that the NPF should not forget the walk-outs of its “regional precursors on issues it deemed not satisfied with the answers of the then Congress govt. in the past”. “The Congress walk-out was issue-based. In any case, the Congress Legislature Party would not like to be part of the huge deficit without proper explanation to the people of Nagaland”, it stated.
.jpg)
