Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 24
Independence Day boycott at Tuensang by Chang Khulei Setshang dominated the last day of the 12th assembly session today with the Opposition Congress blaming the government of failure to organize the national function at the appointed venue and making CKS a scapegoat.
Replying to the Opposition charges, state Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Home Minister Thenucho termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’, but asserted that law will take its own course of action. Home Minister said that the government could have held the function at the proposed venue, but just to prevent unwanted incident they decided to shift the venue to the Circuit House.
He said that people should not mix matters of land dispute and developmental works. “What is wrong if we give better education to the students of the area? People should realize that education is fundamental right”, said Thenucho, while reacting to the Opposition’s charges, and added that the government has no intention of hurting or dividing anyone on tribal lines. Thenucho, however, said that the government was constraint to shift the venue because of security reasons.
On the Opposition’s demand that the Chief Minister be dismissed and a new government be instated for failure to celebrate Independence Day at the scheduled venue, the Chief Minister said that it is not worth demanding his dismissal over the ‘small incident,’ and cited various instances in the other states, where Indian flag were burnt and the Prime Minister was humiliated by burning his effigy in violent form.
“Boycotting the national programme is very bad. If we don’t want, we can abstain from attending. But preventing others from the taking part in the celebration is a crime”, Rio said. The venue had to be shifted because the government did not want to invite unwanted situation by forcibly observing it at the Local Ground, Chief Minister said.
Earlier, in a 40 minutes time allotted to them by the speaker Kiyanilie Pesiyie during the short duration discussion on matter of urgent public important, the Opposition charged the government of committing ‘historical blunder’ by failing to organize the Independent Day function at Tuensang at the proposed venue.
Initiating the discussion, Senior Congress MLA KV Pusa said that the Tuensang incident has clearly shown that the government has breached not only the faith of the people, but the oath of secrecy.
Pusa also alleged that the failure lies with the government, and no one else, but the latter had made CKS a scapegoat.
Pusa also took the DAN members to task on the skit and drama performed at Dimapur on Independence Day, which they alleged that the show depicted Indian Prime Minister in derogatory manner and insulted the National flag.
In reply, Home Minister clarified that the said skit and drama had no intention to either humiliate the Indian PM or the National Flag, but its was performed by the rural women in appreciation of the Indian Prime Minister for giving development to the rural populace, and instead it has propagated the image of the Prime Minister.
Leader of Opposition I. Imkong also participating in the discussion said that
Independence Day boycott had humiliated the Indian Prime Minister, as such the DAN have no moral right to rule the state and started demanding for the dismissal of the Chief Minister.
Morung Express News
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