Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 27 (EMN): The opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Monday alleged that the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) was not doing enough for the people affected by the monsoon emergency.
Addressing a press conference at the NPF’s central office in Kohima, the party’s spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said that the report of shortage of essential commodities in various parts of the state, where roads had been ‘cut off’ due to incessant rains, was perturbing. Saying that the party empathised with the people of Kerala affected by flood, he pointed out that the NPF party was concerned about the numerous hardships being faced by the people of Nagaland, particularly those in Kiphire, as well as various other villages in the remote areas where there is ‘total breakdown of communication.’
Kikon said that the incessant rain was a natural factor, but it was the duty of the government to immediately restore ‘damage.’ Reiterating that the people in the remote areas should be provided with essential commodities, he reminded the PDA government to ensure that the people in different parts of the state receive what is due.
The NPF spokesperson also took a jibe at Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s Independence Day speech where he spoke about the PDA government taking steps to end the ‘VIP culture.’ The spokesperson said that the reality was contrary as a good number of appointments were made with ‘various status.’
On Rio saying that the government had taken steps to ensure transparency and accountability, Kikon asserted that the opposition party does not see any such steps having been taken thus far. He reminded that when the PDA government came to power on March 8 this year, it had assured to repair all the district headquarter roads within 60 days ‘which totally failed;’ it promised lots of things to be done within 100 days which also miserably failed.
“What we have seen in these past 173 days of the government, we have only seen multiple agitations from various corners. Agitations taken up by various forums where students community demanded scholarship, implementation of ILP inclusive of Dimapur district, college students demanding settlement of land encroachment in government colleges... Even teachers, the recent one being the RMSA teachers threatening to launch agitation...” Kikon stated.
With regard to the chief minster saying that the law and order situation had been by and large peaceful, Kikon pointed out that it was an incorrect statement. He cited a recent incident that workers of the four-lane highway between Kohima and Dimapur were allegedly kidnapped. The party questioned the government as to how it was expecting people living in the remote areas to feel safe when people were not secure in Kohima and Dimapur areas.
On the issue of reconstituting the urban local bodies (ULBs), Kikon said that politics had crept in when the NPF-led DAN government tried to conduct the ULB elections with reservation of seats for women. The election had to be called off. With the issue being revived, he said, if the election to the ULB is to be conducted, proper consensus is needed to be drawn from among the various Naga tribal bodies. He also said that the opposition NPF’s 26 legislators have to be taken into ‘full confidence.’
