Congress gears up for Nagaland election; launches scathing attack on government

Claims ‘Operation Lotus’ leading the people of Nagaland astray

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) is gearing up for the upcoming state general election next month; said it is fielding candidates and about 37 serious aspirants, including women, have sought the party ticket.

The election to the 60-member state Assembly will be held on February 27 before the votes are counted on March 2.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Kohima on Monday, Adv. Mahima Singh, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Media Coordinator, launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) ahead of the Nagaland assembly election.

Singh was critical of the 30:30 seat sharing demand made by some BJP workers, against the announced 40-20 deal between the NDPP (40) and BJP (20), claiming that succumbing to the demand will mean ‘opening the gateway for ‘sabotaging the fundamental rights of the constitution guaranteed to the people of the country and Nagaland’.

If the Rio-led government allows a 30:30 seat arrangement for the upcoming election, she claimed it can result in ending the fundamental rights of the people as it is going to be the onset of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

The Congress alleged that “Operation Lotus” from Delhi is leading the people of the Nagaland astray.

Singh claimed that the Rio-led government, which is tainted with scams, ‘has betrayed the people of Nagaland in the name of development, joining hands with the BJP that is running the government at the Centre’.

She said the Congress government had in 2007 made necessary amendments to the constitution and arrangements were made to grant independent high courts for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura states, before sanctions were made, foundation stone laid and work initiated.

She added that by 2013, the High Court buildings for Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura were on the verge of completion and were eventually inaugurated, while the similar facility for Nagaland was nowhere to be seen.

About INR 70 crore has been sanctioned for the project till date but not even the basic structure of the High Court building had been completed, she alleged, adding that the coalition government had withdrawn around INR 44.24 crore against the electrification and water supply at the project site

Claiming that another INR 22.42 crore had been sanctioned against the construction of judges’ bungalow ‘while no area has been earmarked for that’, she said the incumbent government is “trying to play on the people of Nagaland, on the learned advocates of Nagaland, on the whole justice system of Nagaland”, and that the chief minister should have resigned on moral grounds.

The Congress official went on to claim that the INR 70 crore-worth High Court scam had become the major gateway for Operation Lotus in Delhi- to find its way into Nagaland.

She accused the BJP of sabotaging the trust of the people in the name of development, that vikas — sabka saath, sabka vikas — is nowhere to be seen but were not able to arrive in Nagaland. She also claimed that the entry of the saffron party in 2018 has put the state in most vulnerable spot today.

While pointing out that blackmailing has become the norm of the day and public trust insulted time and again, Singh assured that the Congress party will not let ‘Nagaland turn into Assam, Manipur, Goa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh that had played with the mandate of the people, but prevent from all sorts of foul play’.

She said the Congress is a party with ideology and a movement that is centered around the constitution of India and the people’s interest. Citing no woman being elected to the state assembly till date, she said the party would ensure inclusivity if voted to power.

Speaking at the press conference, NPCC Working President Adv. Khriedi Theunuo revealed that the party will field candidates in the upcoming election but didn’t specify the exact number.

However, she said the Congress, as a secular party, felt that all like-minded people join hands to fight the forces that are against the interest of the people. He also stressed on the need to set up a strong secular force in the country.