JLF on Naga political issue has no differences, says Rio

Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 27 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday stressed on the need for all “to work together to bring settlement” while maintaining that Nagaland government has no desire to get into a confrontation with Governor RN Ravi.

Rio said this while interacting with journalists in Kohima after a Cabinet meeting at the Nagaland civil secretariat on Monday.

The chief minister reiterated that the government’s directive to the state employees to declare relations, if any, with Naga political groups was done at the Raj Bhavan’s behest.

Ravi had first written the letter to the government on February 14, seeking the final report by April 2; the state government did not act on it, he said.

Then the Raj Bhavan issued a reminder on June 24 after which, he said, the government had no option but to carry out the directive. Around the same time, the governor had also written his letter about the ‘collapse of law and order’ in Nagaland,’ he added.

Consequently, the chief minister said, the state government had issued a clarification for ‘public consumption’.

“We don’t want to confront or disagree. We don’t know what he (Ravi) is thinking but the cabinet, we have no difference and we need to work together to bring settlement because that’s the desire of the people,” said Rio.

He asserted that there were no differences in the joint legislators’ forum on Naga political issue. "We are one; we have no differences,” the chief minister maintained.

Meanwhile, commenting on the increase in the number of Covid-19 positive cases in Nagaland, he said, “It is not happening only in our state; it’s throughout the world. Though there are many cases, most of them are asymptomatic and some mild cases are there —symptomatic but that has been handled well.”

He said that the five death cases reported were unfortunate.

The chief minister appreciated the frontline workers who are ‘working very hard’. He said that they are doing very well after a few lapses initially, which were corrected.

Rio added that the state government has empowered the district task forces to take decisions on matters related to lockdown, containment of wards and colonies ‘so that they have to identify locally’.

According to him, the high powered committee was there because of big groups of returnees coming to the state.

“For all logistics and quarantine (issues), we are handling. But since that is over, we have fully authorised them (district task forces),” he said.

Rio informed that he has directed the chief secretary and the director general of police to extend all possible help to the districts.

“They are doing very well and we are grateful to our frontline workers and the community support we get from the churches, tribal hohos and civil societies,” he said.

Expressing hope that ‘things will be controlled’, the chief minister urged the people of the state to follow the standard operating procedures (SOP), maintain social distancing, follow hygiene and wear face masks.