Congress protests tainted minister; burns Imchen’s effigy

Correspondent
Kohima, November 29

Irked by the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s failure to remove tainted minister Imkong L Imchen from the Council of Ministers, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) Friday took out a sit-in protest and also burned an effigy of his resemblance outside the Nagaland Civil Secretariat in the capital town, Kohima, as part of the party’s second phase agitation demanding the tainted minister’s removal.A sizeable crowd consisting of NPCC officials, senior Congress leaders and party workers converged outside the Secretariat with placards that declared demands for the removal of Imkong Imchen, also a former Home minister. Some placards read: “Corrupt DAN leaders flock together”, “Where is your moral Imkong Imchen”.
Addressing the gathering, Congress Legislature Party leader Tokheho Yepthomi said “the Congress is not demanding that Imchen should resign from MLAship but we want that he resigns from the Ministership or be removed by the Chief Minister so that free and fair trail can be conducted against the alleged corrupt conduct of then Home Minister during the state assembly elections”.
He also expressed apprehension that it must be because the Chief Minister himself is hand-in-glove with Imchen, and therefore he is not initiating any action against the tainted minister despite the submission of charge sheet by Wokha police on November 4 last.
“We are only demanding Chief Minister to remove Imchen from ministership and not from MLA,” he said adding that the CM should ask Imchen to step down and clean the House in order to serve the people of Nagaland in the best possible way.
Entirely holding the DAN government responsible of shielding Imchen, the CLP leader also asserted that Congress will continue to fight till the end and it is also prepared to go to any extent in order to root out corruption from the Naga society.
The NPCC on November 13 last submitting a representation to the Chief Minister demanded dropping of Imchen from the Council of Minister on allegations of his involvement in criminal activity on February 18 last during the assembly elections, wherein he was caught with cash Rs. 1.10 crore, arms and ammunitions and liquor in Wokha district by the Assam Rifles.
In the representation the Congress had warned to launch series of agitations if the CM fails to drop Imchen by November 26 last.
After which, the Congress launched the first phase in the form of poster campaign on November 27 last and today was the second phase of agitation while the third phase would be 12-hour total bandh on December 3 next affecting some of the major districts including the ensuing Hornbill Festival.