Nagaland: K Therie accuses state government of diverting VDB, MGNREGA fund for election

Making a startling allegation, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president, K. Therie, on Thursday, said the state government was diverting VDB, MGNREGA fund for the election as there were no other sources.
Therie said this while speaking at the protest rally organized by the party at Congress Bhavan, here against Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoning All India Congress Committee (AICC) president, Sonia Gandhi in Delhi Thursday.
Therie alleged that the state government has deducted 70% from MGNREGA fund and given to the 19 NPF MLAs, who had recently defected to NDPP. He also said each of the 19 MLAs were given Rs.2.50 crore as election fund. He further claimed that some of the 19 MLAs were paid and some yet to receive their share.
Therie also claimed that state government does not have any welfare schemes and whatever was received from the Centre were being siphoned off for political gains.
He said though there were only 12 BJP MLAs in the state, the UDA MLAs feared the BJP legislators because Rio’s neck was tied to the big ‘dog collar’ of five Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases. “Anytime they (BJP) can pull the string and put him in the cage, and because of his criminal activities and corruption, he wants protection from BJP. He does not want protection from 48 MLAs”.
Therie said Rio does not worry about the 48 UDA MLAs supporting him because BJP government at the centre can pull the string anytime. He also said even those NPF MLAs who joined NDPP through defection to form the oppositionless government, were also afraid that BJP will send NIA, CBI or ED to inspect their buildings and book them for possessing assets and palatial properties from unknown sources of income.
On the focus of the protest, Therie condemned the ED summons on AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
The NPCC president maintained that Sonia Gandhi was summoned by ED even though she had health issues and alleged that the intention of the BJP was only to harass and torment her. He said that if ED people were human, they should have understood Sonia’s health condition but did not.
Therie said there was no democracy in India but only a rule through intimidation, torture and torment by various central government agencies. He accused the Centre of misusing central agencies to harass and torment the opposition.
He lamented that central government agencies such as CBI, ED and NIA were being used by the BJP against its political opponents. Therie alleged that under Modi, state agencies were used to intimidate and torture critics and opponents.
The NPCC chief appealed to the central government employees under any agencies to apply their minds and do justice and equality to the citizens.
Meanwhile, delivering a brief history on National Herald (NH), working president and treasurer, NPCC, Bobby Panicker, said the newspaper was established on September 9, 1938 and founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and other leaders, along with 5000 freedom fighters.
Referring to NH’s master head, that read: “Freedom In Peril, Defend It With All Your Might”, Pannikar said India was currently facing the same situation.
Pannikar also claimed that there was no freedom for the press or opposition leaders in India and that anybody who questioned the BJP government faced harassment from ED, Income Tax or CBI.
A short speech was also delivered by NPCC vice president, Alemjungshi.
The programme was chaired by member PCC, Kikhevi Yepthomi, and invocation was by Nagaland Pradesh Mahila Congress vice president, Neojila. Opening of WhatsApp campaign against misuse of central government agencies, was initiated by NSUI Nagaland president, X Chophika Sumi.
The NPCC also plans to put up posters against the alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP government at strategic locations in Dimapur.