Irked by the silence of Governor PB Acharya even after 11 days of protest by NPF central youth wing against the NLA speaker, Dr.Imtiwapang Aier, NPF legislator and spokesperson Yitachu, MLA said Nagaland was the only state in the country where a Governor had put the entire government machinery at risk.
Speaking at the Civil Secretariat here, which has been the venue of the ongoing protest, Yitachu said the sit-in was almost nearing a fortnight and yet the Governor was maintaining complete silence.
Denouncing the alleged indifferent attitude of Acharya reflected in him not sending the letter of NPF Central Youth Wing to the President of India till Monday, Yitachu said if the Governor and Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Speaker could terrorise the Chief Secretary, then other officers stood no chance and asked whether this was the way to deliver good governance.
The MLA said it was shame for the Governor to award the Nagas on attaining 50 years of statehood with an “unconstitutional government” and questioned whether he wanted to become the champion of corruption.
Yitachu asked Acharya to come out openly, list out the constitutional provisions, democratic practices and under what circumstances he had acted and said the Nagas would accept if his justification was under the law.
He said though NITI Aayog had decided to make India corruption-free by 2022, in Nagaland its members (Governor and Chief Minister) were still indulging in corruption, adding that it would be no surprise if corruption charges were levelled against the Governor too.
The MLA reiterated that all activities of the TR Zeliang government would be deemed illegal. He added that no unconstitutional government was allowed to function in any State for more than three months barring Nagaland, where it had been four months now and Governor was still shying away from explaining his activities.
Reacting to the BJP’s statement that the party was not desperate to form the government and that the current crisis was an internal matter of NPF, and therefore needed to be resolved internally, Yitachu said if that was BJP’s stand why it gave letter of support to a suspended MLA.
He asked the BJP to stop fooling people and come out openly, instead of making excuses, and admit its mistake.
Further taking a jibe on NDPP, Yitachu said everyone knew that it was the same group of people who staged general convention “under their interim president-ship of Rio” and was now with NDPP.
He said their intention was to destroy the NPF, the history of Nagas and start afresh from 2017. “People cherish history and legacy, but in Nagaland it was reverse,” he added.
Yitachu said the NDPP and NPF (Rio) were like two sides of the same coin and those who staged general convention together had now started to accuse one another as “worst government” while their own sons are in the government as parliamentary secretaries or advisors.
Wondering how the NDPP could be so nasty about their own sons and daughters, he said Nagas should not expect good leaders who speak ill against their own children.
The MLA reiterated that the protest would continue till rule of law triumphed in Nagaland.
In his address, farmer’s wing president Lanukaba said those asking for solution to the vexed Naga issue before Christmas were the same persons who had defied the Nagas’ call for a solution in 1998.
Lanukaba said they need to apologise to the Nagas for going against their call on seeking solution to the Naga political issue. He said they were seeking solution while are putting up candidates for election.
Stating the move was aimed at only getting sympathy from NPGs for the next election, he added that NPGs and Nagas should understand this.
Lanukaba said in 1998, those Congress leaders who were listed as “anti-Nagas” were the ones now seeking solution.
On NDPP, he said the new party had the same old people, the authors of “Bedrock of Naga Society”.
On NLA Speaker, Lanukaba said elders were losing confidence on young leaders because of a young leader like the Speaker for his inaction. He appealed the youth to come out and prove that the young leaders could be better than the Speaker.
Secretary COB Toniho Sheqi said the Governor should revoke his action lest it left a bad precedence in the State and the country.
Stating that the current government was “nameless, shameless and brainless”, he added that in a democracy majority alone would not work as law had to back the majority.
He said it was unfortunate that Zeliang was “brainlessly” following Rio without realising the latter’s game trying to proclaim himself as the “first leader”, in case of a solution.