Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPPC) has come out in support of various issues raised during recent months by veteran Naga leader and former chief minister and governor Dr. S.C. Jamir and against the “unwarranted insinuation” by NDPP youth wing on his reputation.
NPCC communications department made it clear that it was not responding on behalf of Dr. Jamir since his views and observations are “facts that speak for themselves” . Further, it also maintained that if Dr. Jamir’s observations, based on his rich political and administrative experience of over 60 years “was unpalatable to some section, then he cannot be faulted for that.”
NPCC said Dr Jamir is the founding father of Nagaland and well known across India, having served with India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru then Indira Gandhi under various positions. It also pointed out that, despite different political ideologies, even prime minister Narendra Modi has shown high regard to Dr. Jamir for his outstanding contributions to the nation.
NPCC also maintained that Dr. Jamir’s views are also common knowledge with people of Nagaland over the issue of perpetration of economic hegemony and confusion and drift taking place today. It sated that Dr. Jamir and former NPCC president K. Therie, are among the few leaders who choose to speak openly and without ambiguity.
NPCC said the ruling NDPP government has much to answer for failed promises made since 2003 such as – Naga political solution within three months of coming to power; abdicating its constitutional authority which have legitimised various extra constitutional authorities. According to NPCC, the sum total of the the party which “untiringly parrots itself as a pro-people movement” is earning the state the dubious distinction as “ the worst performing state overall in India in 2021.”
The list of failures of the party in power included messing up with oil exploration, not acting on the recommendation on RIIN and also the HPC report on multiple taxation. However, NPCC said the only decisive action which the government took is with regard to construction of multi-crore rupee projects which only benefit a privileged few, close to the powers that be.
Instead of responding to Dr. Jamir’s comments, NPCC said NDPP has abdicated the responsibility and outsourced it to its youth wing to make “vitriolic and sweeping statements” against an elder and respected personality.
NPCC said abdication of responsibility by NDPP including governance has become its hallmark. It advised NDPP youth wing to understand that “things are not going right” and that as future leaders, the youth wing ought to be concerned with the “current mess created by leaders who are seeped up with filthy riches and practising nepotism and favouritism”.
On the ULB issues, NPCC said it was unfortunate that the NDPP Youth Wing blamed Dr Jamir’s government for enacting the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001. It pointed out that present chief minister who was home minister was part of the collective decision in 2001 to create new municipal bodies.
NPCC said the ongoing controversy over polls to ULBs was not due to Dr Jamir but when the party in power in 2006 adopted the 74th constitutional amendment which automatically incorporated 33% women reservation in ULBs. Polls were deferred in 2010 by the government after objections from various organisations it said.
NPCC said the ruling party’s attempt to not include the clause on women reservation eventually led to litigation and reached the Supreme Court in the form of Special Leave Petition.
NPCC said ruling NDPP , after giving an undertaking to hold ULB polls to the Supreme Court , issued a notification on March 9 to conduct polls to ULBs by May 16.
However on March 28, the government took a U-turn in passing the Nagaland Municipal Act(Repeal Bill 2023) to disable holding of ULB polls. NPCC said this led to contempt of court proceedings from the Supreme Court against the state government. It was under this circumstance that Dr.Jamir had asked if the present oppositionless government can remain in power?
NPCC also expressed the hope that civil societies, NGOs and other organisation will come out with proposals for early resolution for holding ULB polls.
It also expressed the hope that those having concern for the people of Nagaland will heed to the wake up calls made by Dr Jamir, K.Therie besides other prominent Nagas.
