DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 20 (MExN): Outgoing Chief Minister TR Zeliang, while congratulating Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu for being unanimously elected as the leader of the DAN Legislature Party, expressed confidence that the State will benefit immensely from his experienced leadership and statesmanship.
“I am confident that under his experienced leadership all issues will be smoothly solved and the people of our State will benefit immensely from his statesmanship,” a press statement from media cell, CMO quoted Zeliang as saying.
He said as the party president, Dr Shurhozelie had been the backbone of the Government, “especially when very strong forces went all out to dethrone me in 2015. I have always looked up to him for sage advice whenever I faced political problems,” he said and thanked him for having been the “fatherly figure all through these tumultuous months.”
In his farewell speech today at the Banquet Hall, Zeliang went on to narrate how after attempts to destabilise his Government failed, some people started to raise issues pertaining to the functioning of his department, Food & Civil Supplies.
Zeliang recalled how he was able to implement National Food Security Act last June to ensure that the right amount of food grains reach the targeted beneficiaries without any pilferages whatsoever, and also made the whole process transparent by listing the names of beneficiaries in the open.
“However, the good that we do seems to be overlooked by many, and perceived shortcomings are magnified beyond belief,” he lamented.
On the elections to the ULBs, what he called the ultimate issue, he rued how some individuals and organisations who supported whole-heartedly that elections to the ULBs should be held with 33% reservation for women a few months back, took U-turns and started to oppose the same tooth and nail.
“What was supposed to be a social movement took strange directions when politically-vested interests started to steer the movement. Mobocracy took over resulting in loss of precious lives and injuries to some, razing of several Government properties and innocent public held to ransom as bandhs and restriction of movement were imposed,” Zeliang said. “While our main objective was to safeguard the interest of women through the reservation of seats for them in the ULBs, the irony is that women were in the street as bandh volunteers to the call of tribal organisations to topple my government,” he added.
“Our Government also took the decision to hold elections to the ULBs to pre-empt the Supreme Court from giving any verdict which could adversely affect Art 371(A). However, it is to be reminded to the Naga public that Naga aspiration issue is beyond Art 371(A) and 16-point Agreement, and is to be carried forward by the State government till final solution is arrived at,” he said.
Zeliang also made a special mention of “my good friend, long-time colleague of more than two decades, Neiphiu Rio, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha and former Chief Minister of Nagaland for his efforts to bring normalcy in the Naga society at this moment when various organisations have brought the entire society and the functioning of the Government to a grinding halt.”
The outgoing Chief Minister also thanked the NBCC and the various denominations of the Church and the people of Nagaland for their prayers and support especially during the present crisis, which he believed prevented matters from getting worse.
.jpg)
