DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 12 (MExN): The Rising Peoples’ Party (RPP) has called for the removal of Minister for Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along, from the Council of Ministers, following a serious fraud case involving Rs 125 Crores that has recently made national headlines.
In a press statement, the RPP criticized Higher Education Minister for downplaying the gravity of the case, referring to it as a “normal business dispute,” which the party finds deeply troubling.
“Temjen Imna Along’s fraud case involving Rs 125 Crores has made national headlines but his utterance has trivialized cheating and fraud which is condemnable. The stupendous silence of the State BJP in their refusal to bring their colleague to task shows their double standard as well,” the RPP press release read.
It reminded that the Narendra Modi government has called for a “Corruption-free India” and in order to justify this slogan, the State BJP should have been the first to advise Rio to drop their Minister.
In addition, the RPP praised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for its recent move to attach the properties of two Naga contractors involved in the construction of the new Kohima High Court complex. This action, though seen as overdue, is welcomed by citizens who have long awaited accountability for corruption in the state. The RPP has called on the ED to continue its investigation, which involves 10 Public Works Department (PWD) engineers and six contractors, and to bring the case to its logical conclusion.
The party has also urged Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to grant prosecution sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the implicated PWD officials without further delay.
Along with the 6 contractors, the 10 odd officers were implicated by the CBI but the refusal to give prosecution sanction by Rio’s government gives the impression that the politicians fear implication as well, the RPP said.
The intervention of the Kohima High Court bench has offered a glimmer of hope for those advocating for transparency and accountability in the state, as the conscientious citizens of Nagaland await further developments in the case, it added.
