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Dimapur, Oct. 13 (EMN): The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) on Thursday refuted a news report that claimed Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was recently questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection “with the non-existent high court building at Kohima”. The party clarified that the CM has never been “summoned nor questioned” by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till date.
The NDPP issued a press statement on Thursday, just hours after The New Indian Express published a story under the headline: “Rs 70 crore drawn for Nagaland HC building that doesn’t exist, CM faces ED heat”, written by one Amit Mukherjee, alleging that the CM was summoned by the ED and questioned for several hours last month at a military facility in Rangapahar, Dimapur.
Terming the news report as false, the NDPP stated that such ‘malicious news have been fabricated and spread by unscrupulous elements whose sole intentions are to damage the image of the chief minister and defame his name and the office he occupies’.
“The NDPP vehemently condemns this malicious act of tarnishing the name and image of Mr. Neiphiu Rio, the Hon’ble Chief Minister and one of the tallest leaders the state has produced.
“Such acts of maligning the name and image of any person, let alone a Chief Minister are highly unacceptable and unbecoming in our society and must be condemned by every right thinking citizen!” it read.
The party stated that “all legalities” were being put in place in order to identify and apprehend the source of the “false and defamatory news”, adding that all legal actions would be pursued so that such acts are not committed in the future.
“The president and rank and file of the NDPP collectively stand steadfast with the Hon’ble Chief Minister and it is also our strong demand that the state government leave no stone unturned to identify and apprehend the culprits immediately and book them under relevant laws. Let this be an example to deter others from resorting to such malicious acts in the future,” it added.