‘Reason for govt.’s reluctance is obvious’
Dimapur, August 8 : The Nagaland unit of the Indian National Congress has challenged the Nagaland government to institute without further delay the anti-corruption mechanism Lokayukta. The government must recognize that Nagaland is now a ‘problem state’ with widespread political failure and administrative breakdown characterized by corruption and even more scams, the Congress stated in a statement on Monday.
Said problems, the party stated through its spokesman general secretary Vaprumu Demo, are ‘escalating’ by the day.
“State government must admit and react to the fact that Nagaland is problem state, weighed down with political indecisiveness, mis-governance (sic), economic logjam, development breakdown etc on one side and rampant corruption, scam after scam and social uprising on the other side altogether pointing to the fact of collapse or near collapse of governing system,” the press release stated.
“Reason can be many but problems are escalating day by day due to absence of government’s accountability and critical mass of people side by side.”
According to the party, it was not without reason that “Nagaland has surpassed that of other states and not without reason Nagaland is listed most corrupted state in India.” From the government to the village levels whether in public, private or administrative sectors, “the powers that be are deeply involved in the mesh of corruption and the scope of accountability almost down to zero.”
The Congress referred to a recent appeal of the governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya, to the Nagaland government to immediately enact the Lokayukta Bill.
“(The appeal) is apparently a reaction to the government’s dilly dally over the pending Bill already tabled in the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly Session a year ago on 21st July 2015. Meantime multiple scams like fuel adulteration, pension, scholarship and others burst out and he was forced to make the appeal,” the Congress stated.
“But as governor of the state, he is constitutionally bound to give advice and not appeal to the state government to (fulfill) a constitutional obligation as important as Lokayukta. The unwillingness of state government to constitute the ‘anti-corruption body’ is well understood because erring elective (sic) public functionaries and bureaucrats will become the first casualty,” the statement said.
“Whatever it may be, unless Lokayukta is instituted corruption is bound to destroy the very basis of the welfare state.”
The Lokayukta was mooted way back in 1966 when the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Marorji Desai submitted a proposal for Lokayukta to be an anti-corruption body in every state. The Parliament passed the Lokayukta Act in 2013 by which it became mandatory for the states to constitute Lokayukta to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration against erring public servants and government servants. The act also seeks to provide speedy redress of public grievances.
“Much dirt has flown below the bridge (sic) but now the constitutional safeguard must be raised up to put a hold to the free flow of corruption. And governor has rightly stated, Lokayukta is ‘a constitutional countercheck to corruption...’,” the Congress observed in its press release.
Considering the “frightening nature of corruption and irregularity in the state,” the Nagaland Congress has urged the state government to immediately constitute the Lokayukta without dragging the matter ‘on some nonsensical pretext.’
There is no justifiable reason—political, legal or moral—to rationalize the continuing corruption and no reason for the state to ‘sleep’ over the imperative demand of the aggrieved public as represented by few sensitized pressure groups and individuals.
'Also, Nagaland is predominantly a Christian state and acts of corruption, immorality, and covetousness are considered deadly sins about which our Christian public leaders and government officers are not unaware. Corruption must be uprooted through our joint effort,' the Congress added.
