Dimapur, January 6 (MExN): After ushering in President’s Rule the Congress today issued a lengthy statement seeking to allay fears that the PR would gnaw into the peace process and derail it.
The statement titled “Appeal to the people of Nagaland” from the media cell of the NPCC explained: “Dialogue for the peace process is essentially with the central government and the NSCN factions. The state government is not a party to the talks. And mere fact that there is no state government does not mean that there is no government for the state” the NPCC stated. It explained that in President’s Rule, the center administers the state “in accordance with the provisions of the constitution” and that there ‘is no scope for the state government to intermeddle with the center’s initiatives in the peace-talks.’
Such “outbursts” of Rio that the move of the center would derail the peace process, is “an eloquent view of Rio’s position and the manner in which his Government was functioning in the State” the Congress maintained. “How is it that he apprehends the peace process would be derailed when even the parties concerned are not concerned about it? And what has dismissal of his unconstitutional Government got anything to do with the ongoing peace process?” the erstwhile Opposition queried.
The NPCC maintained that neither the GoI nor the ‘NSCN’ has said that political talks would be suspended or abrogated with the dismissal of the DAN Government. “The Naga people want peace and normalcy; the Naga people want peace, progress and all-round development. And Rio would be doing much more harm to the people of Nagaland than he did in his five years or so in power if he were to derail or contribute to the abrogation of the peace and political process” the Congress stated.
The claim of Neiphiu Rio that with imposition of President’s Rule, martial law has been imposed, “is a ploy to fool the masses and the mask behind which he had been functioning is slowly beginning to unravel his true face” the Congress maintained.
On the so-asserted “misuse” of the NLA Speaker’s office, the Congress reiterated what it had been reiterating earlier ever since the December 13 no-trust voting. “Knowing fully well that he had been reduced to minority, Rio misused the Speaker’s office, with an attempt to continue to remain in office” the Congress charged.
The Congress also claimed that no parallels can be drawn between Goa and Nagaland: “While it is true that the central government did not act during the Goa crisis on account of the interim order passed by the Speaker holding that there was prima facie case for holding that two MLAs were liable be disqualified in terms of para 2 of the Tenth Schedule, for voluntarily giving up membership of their original political party, in the case of Nagaland, there was no such prima facie finding. Instead, in the disqualification petition (one petition against 3 Independent MLAs!), the Speaker directed that these Independent MLAs ‘shall not vote in favour of any political party in the House on motions of confidence or no-confidence in the House in accordance with the observations of the Supreme Court of India in various anti-defection law cases and the said members are however, free to participate in the proceedings with the right to vote on all other questions for decisions before the House.” This, the Congress claimed, there was no reduction in strength, but “pure manipulation of figures” and “these Independent MLAs continued to be MLAs of the House at the time when the No-Confidence Motion was put to vote” it stated.
Referring to the NPF band on the 8th, the Congress lamented the “attempt to disrupt the lives of the people” and “is very unfortunate as they want to impose ‘NPF Military Rule’”. If they are genuinely agitated with the Centre’s decision, they should go to Delhi and demonstrate their unhappiness, the statement lamented.
Expressing full faith that the Governor would “be able to deliver to the people what the DAN Government has deprived the people of in the last five years or so,” the Congress is confident that the bureaucrats “will now be able to deliver justice to the people of Nagaland under the able guidance and supervision of His Excellency the Governor of Nagaland”
