The criticism of the PDA government by NPF over the latter’s claims of achievements has once again triggered a war of words between NDPP and the principal opposition party in the State.
In a statement, the ruling party observed that the oldest regional party was perhaps yet to grasp and accept the reality even after two years that the mandate of the people of Nagaland was with the PDA, and therefore was unable to conduct itself as a responsible opposition party.
This only exposed the sorry state of affairs within the party and mental state of its leaders for having to sit in the opposition bench, it added
Referring to NPF’s allegation of poor infrastructure, including roads, NDPP said this only showed how egoistical mindset of NPF had blinded it to huge improvement in the condition of roads and other infrastructure in the past two years after the PDA government had taken over.
It suggested that the opposition party should open its eyes to the various people-centric programmes and activities undertaken by the PDA government for the people’s welfare, besides paying attention on the roads and infrastructure.
Mentioning that NPF had much to answer to the people for mis-governance, corruption and disunity between 2014-18, the ruling party asserted that it was for the people of Nagaland to decide whether the PDA government was doing well or not and not the opposition party, which produced the worst regime in the history of the State under its leaders TR. Zeliang and Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu.
Responding to NPF questioning the PDA government on the Naga political issue and human rights activists of the State, NDPP expressed shock that the opposition party would resort to these matters when its own legislators were very much a part of Joint Legislators’ Forum (JLF) as well as members of Core Group of JLF since all issues on the peace process and related matters were discussed threadbare in the JLF meetings and the Core Group.
NDPP said such immature statements exposed the poor state of affairs within NPF since in any political organisation there was constant communication between elected representatives and party organisations.
As this was apparently not happening in NPF, the ruling party asked the former to first question its elected representatives on the discussions that occur during JLF meetings before throwing false and malicious accusations at PDA.
The ruling party claimed that in the last five sessions of 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) it had ensured that the people were not deprived of their constitutional rights by ensuring that the sessions lasted full, unlike under NPF regimes of Zeliang and Shurhozelie when sessions lasted for record 10 minutes. It alleged that the Zeliang government was able to bring about an opposition-less government in the name of Naga issue.
However, it alleged that the government took advantage of an opposition-less Assembly by bringing about a reign of diabolical magnitude by depriving the people of not only their constitutional rights but also stripping bare the State exchequer and other developmental activities. The opposition-less government functioned more like a dictator with the constant suspension/expulsion of members, thus muffling the voice of democracy, with elected representative even being debarred from raising questions of public importance in the absence of an opposition in the Assembly.
The ruling party said the dictatorial system of NPF leadership perhaps still continued as was witnessed by the unceremonious suspension of its Rajya Sabha member KG Kenye, who was also party’s secretary general, and expulsion of party members and dissolution of Chizami unit of the party, which had not gone down well with its Phek division.
Suggesting NPF to gets its house in order first before trying to attack the popularly-mandated government with false, malicious and unfounded accusations, NDPP alleged that the former had thoroughly failed people of the State as an opposition party.
On NPF accusing the PDA government of backdoor appointments, NDPP claimed that the ruling coalition was committed from day one to provide transparency, accountability and good governance to the people and that it had been endeavouring to do so for the last two years. It pointed out that chief ministers Neiphiu Rio and his ministers had given assurances on the floor of NLA on many occasions in this regard.
Declaring that the PDA government was serious on its assurance of constituting SSB, for which report from a committee was awaited, NDPP explained that the demand of setting up SSB was not something that had suddenly emerged. This demand of the youth was old, but the Zeliang government had decided to turn a blind eye.
The statement pointed out that organisational and legislature wings of NPF had a history of confronting each other as witnessed under the DAN regime with the legislature wing of the party overthrowing its own president from the chair of chief minister in 2017, resulting in public confrontations between the two wings that also dragged in the office of the governor.
According to NDPP, the NPF regimes under Zeliang and Liezietsu were times when politics in Nagaland reared its ugliest head, with betrayals and backstabbing taking centre stage and ministers and parliamentary secretaries spending more time in hotels and sleeping on the floor of chief minister’s bungalow rather than working and addressing the needs and concerns of people.
“It was at such a time that people realised that time had come for a change and eventually mandated the PDA government in 2018. The ruling coalition parties respects and understands the mandate of the people, and it is our endeavour that the NDPP-led PDA government will continue to fulfil all our commitments to the people before we seek a fresh mandate again,” the statement noted.
Mentioning that two years had elapsed wherein policies, programmes and commitments to the people were slowly being realised, NDPP assured of continuing to serve the people keeping in mind the promise of “transparency, accountability and good governance”.