Responding to the accusations by the Naga People’s Front (NPF) press and media bureau, that Congress leaders were “agents of outsiders”, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) hit back at the “false propaganda” and accused NPF of trying to “hoodwink the people” as NPF leaders had had nothing to offer to people after nearly 11 years in power.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, NPCC media cell said the NPF media bureau was parroting around with the only phrase available with it, as it was ignorant about what its leaders were scheming in order to further “exploit and make a mess of governance”.
Asking the NPF media bureau on what it meant by “agents of outsiders”, NPCC said NPF as a regional party, was more concerned with issues outside Nagaland by creating a mess of political situation in Nagaland while enjoying funds provided by the centre meant for development of the state.
The “NPF obsession with Article 371 (A)” at the start of its third innings, had more to do with “greed of sharing the spoils of oil exploration” and to tighten its grip on power by usurping the powers of the Hon’ble Nagaland Governor, said NPCC.
NPCC media cell said the NPF’s belated rediscovery of the constitution cannot ignore the utterances of its minister Imkong L.Imchen, who, on several occasions, “denounced the 16 Point Agreement” by conveniently forgetting that he occupied a ministerial chair as a result of that agreement.
It also accused Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio of having spoken out against Article 371(A) on past occasions by blaming it as “the main hindrance towards development of the state”.
While asserting that the Congress has no “hesitation in consulting the people and tribal hohos on issues of importance”, NPCC however said that the NPF government’s approach in calling for repeated consultative meetings to debate Article 371 (A) and then announcing its decision to ignore the office of the Governor on Rules of Executive Business (REB) “was totally wrong”.
NPCC reiterated that views gathered in consultative meetings can be debated in the assembly before making any final decision “ and not the other way round” as resorted to by the NPF.
It said the NPF’s assertions that NGOs and civil societies were invited to consultative meetings to solicit views was “an added insult”.
NPCC pointed out that the meetings were more of imposing “the divisive agenda of the chief minister to derive a false mandate under the guise of protecting the rights of the people”.
Further, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee said the reading of prepared script by the chief minister and paper presentations by “some bureaucrats” for a conclusion “has demeaned” the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) “since laws are made inside the assembly and not in some convention centres.”
NPCC reiterated that the NPF government was heading for a collision course with the government of India “by repeatedly raking up the debate on Article 371 (A)” and rushing into a “blind alley with the so-called mandate arrived at consultative meetings” to force their way through.
The “confrontational stance” of the NPF government would even jeopardise the constitutional safeguards provided to Nagaland under Article 371 (A) for which the NPF government led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio “will be held fully responsible”, cautioned NPCC.
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