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Dimapur, May 14 (EMN): Opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) party has accused Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of “engaging in politics” during his meeting with civil society representatives in Dimapur on May 13.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the party stated that “reports in the media (had) failed to cover and report allegations and misinterpretation of the CM in the meeting”.
According to the NPF, the chief minister started the meeting with presentation of the state’s deficit budget figures “which is absurd and holds no relevance”.
It stated that Rio must have presented the deficit figures out of guilty conscience as his tenure in 2003 started with zero deficit.
“…if he really wanted the people to know the budget figures and make comparisons, why not make a factual statement based on the Finance department records and recommendations. Rather than making false and unverified claims just to portray a good image of himself, he should be bold enough to present factual information to the people. If he so desires and deems fit for the public to know state deficit figures in a meeting called to address issues on Covid-19, why did he not state the 2019-2020 closing deficit figure of INR 2234.85 crore which is 500 plus crore addition in his two years as the CM since March 2018,” it stated.
Further, the NPF stated that Rio’s attempts to tinker with the delimitation process, which the Delimitation Commission has ordered, was evident from his address to the gathering. “Again, what has delimitation got to do with this pandemic?”
The third “unrelated issue” he raised in the meeting, it stated, was the Naga political issue. ‘If we are to look at the past two years of PDA government, there hasn’t been any significant breakthrough or headway to the Naga solution. Rather, the CM has been only so concerned for his chair that when the GoI and Naga groups are finally hoping for a final settlement, the first thing he does is to rush to the central leaders to cement his seat in a post solution scenario,’ claimed the NPF.
Ranging from the issue of bringing back stranded Nagaland citizens to setting up proper quarantine centres, Rio has terribly failed, it stated.
“Also, the party is baffled by the irresponsible statement of the CM of late, at various public platforms, that the state of Nagaland would very soon be brought under President’s Rule. On what basis does he make such arrogant and confusing statement? Is it based on the central leaders’ indication to him of such a move or is it his own miscalculation or wish that the state be brought under such emergency provision?” it questioned.