Correspondent
Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has urged the Centre to dismiss the UDA government to pave the way for implementation of agreement.
This was resolved during the NPCC’s General Session held at Congress Bhavan, Kohima on Thursday. Further, the session also reiterated Congress’ commitment to resolve the political problem through peaceful means without compromising law and order, if given an opportunity.
Reaffirming that it would not compromise our faith and identity, NPCC further resolved to demand that Election Commission of India (ECI) should return to the ballot paper system in Nagaland, or conduct one-day polling and counting simultaneously.
It also demanded that appointing EVM engineers to handle EVMs in returning officers’ offices should be stopped as they belonged to EVM manufacturing companies. Officers could be trained to handle the EVMs if required, it suggested.
The session also appealed to the people of Nagaland, young and old, men and women, to rise and join the movement to defend and protect “our” faith, identity, economy and to resolve the political problem peacefully. It appealed to all likeminded leaders to join hands in defending the idea of a secular India.
Earlier, addressing the programme, NPCC president K Therie highlighted the social, economic and political issues confronting the State.
He alleged that corruption had seeped into every layer of governance and the time had come for Naga society to stand up against corruption and dilution of identity and culture.
Therie said uncontrolled price hike had affected every citizen while the State government had no programme to control price hike, extortion and corruption. He mentioned that the people were made to pay multiple taxes while development funds were shared without works.
“There are so many unverifiable projects, money drawn but work not found, while the State’s deficit has grown to Rs 2,600 crore,” he added.
On the political issue, Therie observed that the nine-decades-old issue continued to haunt the young and the old alike, while the current political scenario and delay in implementing political solution was taking its toll on the economy and society.
Taking a dig, Therie alleged that those in power was against solution and took former governor and interlocutor RN Ravi’s ouster as an “achievement”.
“Chief Minister was proud of removing RN Ravi which was considered the first achievement of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government. CM said he wanted to start everything afresh. Now we are not sure as to how long the negotiation would continue,” Therie said.
He alleged that Central government’s representative AK Mishra had miserably failed to take forward the two official agreements– Framework Agreement and Agreed Position that were signed between the Centre and Naga national workers.
Accusing Mishra of not being transparent before the stakeholders, he charged the former of continuing to ignore the latter’s demand for urgent settlement while continuing to enjoy the hospitality of the chief minister.
Therie also disclosed that the party had received information that Central government was working to appoint a new Governor to take care of the “problems” without citing the word “solution”.
Therie said he was not sure of what type of Governor would come and also cast his aspersion whether there would be any honesty in their (Centre) statements.
As another opportunity was coming in 2023 for the people to decide their future government, he advised them to choose their future wisely.
Therie expressed his doubts that there would be an early solution, however, the only signal visible was the BJP distancing itself from chief minister Neiphiu Rio, which he said was evident with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) being deployed and PIL filed against CM’s aides.
He said although Rio had been supporting BJP at the cost of being a regional party, faith, identity, his future and sacrificing all the sentiments of the Nagas, the recent developments were an indication that all was not well between CM and BJP central leaders.
Therie said that BJP by distancing itself from Rio was an indication that it would not go to polls with him. “If they (BJP) plan to fight in the next election alongside him (Rio), they would not be destroying Rio’s his image infront of the nation like this,” Therie said.
Urging Congress’ rank and file to stand strong against the odds and work harder to further the party’s ideology, policies and programmes, Therie also appealed for renewing their efforts in the enrolment exercise currently underway.
Others who addressed the general session included working presidents Khriedi Theunuo and Bobby Panicker, who also invoked the Almighty’s blessings, and general secretaries Capt GK Zhimomi and S Supongmeren Jamir.
Reports from the District Congress Committees (DCCs) and frontal organisations, including Minority Department of NPCC, were presented to the House by respective representatives, while the vote of thanks was proposed by NPCC vice-president W Akum.