DIMAPUR, MAY 3 (MExN): The statement made from Longleng yesterday by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio that the last 40 years out of 49 years of statehood were “wasted years” has evoked sharp response from the Opposition Congress party. It may be mentioned that Rio, who was the chief guest at the inauguration programme of the newly created EAC headquarters, Yachem, on Wednesday, had said that in the 49 years of Nagaland’s statehood, the last 40 years were “wasted years” as many development programmes could not reach the people though the state was getting maximum fund then.
Hitting back at the Chief Minister, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) in a press note reminded that despite special funding pattern that the State enjoyed in the pre-1989 era, the State had never ever received more funds than now during Rio’s term of office. According to the NPCC, the Congress-led UPA I & II has been pumping in thousands of crores of rupees to the State without discrimination for various centrally sponsored schemes (CSS).
“Rio has nothing to claim to his credit on so-called development front. It is the Congress-led UPA government in the Centre that has been funding all development projects. With so much of funds released to the State for CSS, Rio and his DAN Ministers think that the State’s plan budgets are their personal booty. He must spell out what notable major project the DAN government had taken up and completed under the State’s plan fund”, the NPCC stated.
On the reference made by Rio regarding Naga identity, the NPCC questioned as to what identity Rio was talking about. The Opposition Congress stated that the “Naga identity in the past was honesty, courage and selflessness” and that the “only identity Rio has given to the Nagas is corruption in all aspects”. The Congress stated that Rio has established Nagaland as the “corruption capital of the country” and that “he will be remembered as the most corrupt Chief Minister of Nagaland”. “The people of Nagaland will show him the door sooner than he expected”, the NPCC stated.
Also stating that Rio may be able to “fool the gullible and sycophant NPF members with his bombastic development mantra”, however the NPCC stated that he cannot “fool the entire people of Nagaland”. “Rio was groomed under high command culture. He wants to show that he is the high command of NPF. His dictatorial style of functioning is a living testimony”.
The Opposition Congress also stated that Rio’s statement reflected his ego to project himself as the champion of all Chief Ministers of the State. “In other words, he had condemned all his predecessors including his own party’s former Chief Ministers”, it stated while adding that Rio was only washing his dirty linen in public because he was very much a cabinet minister in almost all the ministries of 40 years span. “He can’t play sacrosanct now by washing off his hands in the amphitheatre of collective responsibility”, the NPCC stated.
Pointing out that the DAN government’s development mantra does not go beyond “substandard quality of workmanship, abandoning the projects half-way, inflating hundred and thousand times the sanctioned amount and pooling of development funds in urban areas only leaving 80% of the rural populous in abject neglect”, the NPCC termed as “very sad that the only Chief Minister who had given his nod to further dissect the State was glorified by none other than an elected member of eastern Nagaland”. “The eastern Naga people have been demanding for a separate Frontier Nagaland with NOC from the Chief Minister for lack of development in their areas and exploitation in contract works and employment. Therefore, the eastern Naga people should demand explanation from the concerned legislator”.
Also stating that the Congress had not opposed the creation of new administrative headquarters, the press note explained that the Congress had demanded for facts and figures on the basis of which the new EAC and BDO posts were created. It stated that the Chief Minister and the Home Minister refused to divulge the truth because they could not justify their “politically motivated actions”.
