Dimapur, Feb. 14: Citing financial breakdown and secondly the utter paralysis of the government machinery for the last 13 days as justifiable reasons, ACAUT Nagaland urged the Governor to impose President’s Rule in the State followed by a CBI enquiry into all the issues of corruption which have been raised.
ACAUT stated that by the time the former CM Rio left the State for the Centre, the State was already reeling under a financial emergency situation, adding the State was already in financial death kneel when the first rumble of non-payment of government employee salaries begun in 2015.
‘Not surprisingly, as the PDS scams- fuel adulteration and rice scam- and the mid-day meal scam unravelled, the politicians and government machineries were found thickly involved in thousand crores kickback controversy while ordinary citizens, including government teachers and school children suffered without salary payments or mid-day meals and textbooks,’ ACAUT Media Cell stated in a press release.
Considering the multiple-thousand crores corruption enterprise, it said ACAUT had demanded a CBI enquiry into both the fuel and rice scams which was outrightly rejected by the government and instead resorted to suppressive measures to break up peaceful anti-corruption rallies and marches, once on October 18, 2016, and another one on December 15, 2016.
It reminded the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that the State is still reeling under a financial emergency not because of inadequate Central funding but because all the funds have been blatantly misappropriated.
It also accused the government of moving ahead to conduct ULB elections by completely brushing aside the popular voices, notwithstanding the fears of the people and the tribal hohos that such an election was likely to infringe Article 371A.
Stating that the government completely misread the prevalent anti-government sentiment and tried to conduct the elections, thus leading to the death of two protestors, it said ‘now we have a situation which is unprecedented in the annals of Indian democracy, which is, the perfect breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state.’
It pointed that the Old Secretariat Complex housing 21 offices had been burnt down, while all government offices in the State including the New Secretariat Complex have been locked down by the public. It said the district magistrates, the police and the district administration have been rendered paralysed, all under house arrest and the Chief Minister’s residence and the residences of all the legislators are now virtual prisons.
It also stated that paramilitary Assam Rifles have been called out for flag marches and to guard the CM and his cabinet, adding the entire chain of command from the Chief Minister at the political level to the police at the local thana level have been rendered ineffective. It alleged that writ of the Constitution of India has ceased to exist in the state.
Stating that President’s Rule has been imposed in other states for far less credible reasons, ACAUT reminded the Governor to impose PR by invoking the financial breakdown and the utter paralysis of the government machinery for the last 13 days as justifiable reasons.
