Dimapur, May 14(MExN): The Congress today hit out at the chief minister and Home minister for being ‘hypocritical’ and attempting to divert attention from issues raised by the Nagaland Congress party recently. The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) reminded both Neiphiu Rio and Imkong Imchen that they were Congress leaders, nurtured by the Congress before usurping their mentors for power.
NPCC chief SI Jamir issued a statement today questioning recent statements of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Home Minister Imkong Imchen contextualizing the recent by-polls held in Aonglenden constituency in Mokokchung. The Congress noted Rio’s remark that the “contest was not against the Congress but against the policies and programs of the political party contesting the by-poll. Likewise, the NPCC noted another one of Imkong Imchen’s uncomfortable remarks, this time that the NPF “won the by-election because of the Naga issue.” The NPCC also reminded the Rio-led government that it has to ‘come up with one or other explanation’ to the questions of the Chief Election Commission of India for the State’s deployment of Central paramilitary forces in places away from the place of the by-polls.
The statement of Neiphiu Rio that the “contest was not against the Congress but against the policies and programs of the political party contesting the by-poll” is like trying to separate the soul from the body, the NPCC remarked. The CM should spell out clearly what those policies and programs of the Congress were. “He should also tell the people of Nagaland as to what made him remain in Congress for so long if he thought the policies and programs of the Congress were antithesis to him. Public memory is not very short as to forget that the number two Cabinet minister in the erstwhile Congress regime had usurped his mentor and deserted the party that had groomed him on the eve of 2003 general election only because he coveted the chief minister’s chair,” the NPCC reminded Rio.
‘Safe passage given to one group’
Back to the statement of Home Minister Imkong L Imchen, a self-professed ‘foot in the mouth syndrome’ sufferer, the NPCC noted his claim that the NPF “won the by-election because of the Naga issue.” Imchen has made a mockery of the Naga political issue, the Congress said.
“What is the difference between the NPF and other political parties on Naga political party? He should spell out clearly in what ways the Congress has been always against the Naga political issue. Did he mean that the other Nagas affiliated to the Congress party had not contributed anything to the Naga cause? He should not forget that there are many Nagas who had joined the Congress party after many years of national service because of political compulsion and there are also other Congressmen whose fathers and brothers had fought and died for the Naga cause.”
The NPCC challenged the minister to say, “How many from his bloodline were in the national service during the turbulent times? Which Naga political party and leaders are not concerned with the problem that has remained unresolved till today? Did he mean Naga political issue is minus the members of Congress party? Then, what was the need for the Joint Legislators Forum on Naga political issue?”
Imchen “should stop or at least the chief minister should stop him from double-talk,” the Congress advised the Home minister.
On the allegation of the chief minister that the Congress did not trust the State’s own forces, the opposition said the statement was simply an alibi to cover nefarious designs. “The State government had to come up with one or other explanation to the Chief Election Commission (ECI) which had questioned the illogical deployment of central paramilitary forces in those places. What had the Intangki forest got to do with the by-election?” the Congress asked the DAN government.
The Congress termed “farce” other companies of CRPF were deployed in neighboring districts to prevent so-stated “infiltration of underground elements”. It was a farce when safe passage was already given to one group, the Congress said. “On being directed by ECI, the CRPF companies from Tuensang, Wokha, Zunheboto and Peren were brought to Mokokchung on the morning of 6th May only,” the NPCC reiterated.
“The Chief Minister and the Home Minister were Congressmen for many years and in Congress they groomed their leaderships. Now, they are talking as if the Congress is untouchable. Such hypocrisy has no place in the eyes of the intellectual Naga public. It looks like the winning syndrome has confused the NPF leaders,” the NPCC remarked.
NPCC chief SI Jamir issued a statement today questioning recent statements of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Home Minister Imkong Imchen contextualizing the recent by-polls held in Aonglenden constituency in Mokokchung. The Congress noted Rio’s remark that the “contest was not against the Congress but against the policies and programs of the political party contesting the by-poll. Likewise, the NPCC noted another one of Imkong Imchen’s uncomfortable remarks, this time that the NPF “won the by-election because of the Naga issue.” The NPCC also reminded the Rio-led government that it has to ‘come up with one or other explanation’ to the questions of the Chief Election Commission of India for the State’s deployment of Central paramilitary forces in places away from the place of the by-polls.
The statement of Neiphiu Rio that the “contest was not against the Congress but against the policies and programs of the political party contesting the by-poll” is like trying to separate the soul from the body, the NPCC remarked. The CM should spell out clearly what those policies and programs of the Congress were. “He should also tell the people of Nagaland as to what made him remain in Congress for so long if he thought the policies and programs of the Congress were antithesis to him. Public memory is not very short as to forget that the number two Cabinet minister in the erstwhile Congress regime had usurped his mentor and deserted the party that had groomed him on the eve of 2003 general election only because he coveted the chief minister’s chair,” the NPCC reminded Rio.
‘Safe passage given to one group’
Back to the statement of Home Minister Imkong L Imchen, a self-professed ‘foot in the mouth syndrome’ sufferer, the NPCC noted his claim that the NPF “won the by-election because of the Naga issue.” Imchen has made a mockery of the Naga political issue, the Congress said.
“What is the difference between the NPF and other political parties on Naga political party? He should spell out clearly in what ways the Congress has been always against the Naga political issue. Did he mean that the other Nagas affiliated to the Congress party had not contributed anything to the Naga cause? He should not forget that there are many Nagas who had joined the Congress party after many years of national service because of political compulsion and there are also other Congressmen whose fathers and brothers had fought and died for the Naga cause.”
The NPCC challenged the minister to say, “How many from his bloodline were in the national service during the turbulent times? Which Naga political party and leaders are not concerned with the problem that has remained unresolved till today? Did he mean Naga political issue is minus the members of Congress party? Then, what was the need for the Joint Legislators Forum on Naga political issue?”
Imchen “should stop or at least the chief minister should stop him from double-talk,” the Congress advised the Home minister.
On the allegation of the chief minister that the Congress did not trust the State’s own forces, the opposition said the statement was simply an alibi to cover nefarious designs. “The State government had to come up with one or other explanation to the Chief Election Commission (ECI) which had questioned the illogical deployment of central paramilitary forces in those places. What had the Intangki forest got to do with the by-election?” the Congress asked the DAN government.
The Congress termed “farce” other companies of CRPF were deployed in neighboring districts to prevent so-stated “infiltration of underground elements”. It was a farce when safe passage was already given to one group, the Congress said. “On being directed by ECI, the CRPF companies from Tuensang, Wokha, Zunheboto and Peren were brought to Mokokchung on the morning of 6th May only,” the NPCC reiterated.
“The Chief Minister and the Home Minister were Congressmen for many years and in Congress they groomed their leaderships. Now, they are talking as if the Congress is untouchable. Such hypocrisy has no place in the eyes of the intellectual Naga public. It looks like the winning syndrome has confused the NPF leaders,” the NPCC remarked.
‘Cong should not blame NPF for defeat’
Dimapur, May 14 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) today mocked the Congress party in Nagaland for ‘championing the political morality of the Nagas’ only to lose out in the Aonglenden elections. The NPF sniped at the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) saying whether they should take responsibility for the defeat.
“From day one, since the approval of the Congress candidate by their party high command which was duly recommended by the NPCC, the Congress party in Nagaland has been trying to champion the political morality of the Nagas. The NPF observed that their recent struggle to be politically relevant was just an attempt of publicity stunt,” the NPF’s media cell stated in a note today.
The Congress party’s “trademark exercise to blame their political adversaries in all fronts has been spectacularly incompetent”, according to the NPF. In the recent Aonglenden by-election episode, the cell added, whether the NPCC president and the CLP leader should shoulder the responsibility of the defeat of their party candidate or throw the blame only to the NPF. “It is perhaps their decision for the heads to roll,” the NPF media note added.
“From day one, since the approval of the Congress candidate by their party high command which was duly recommended by the NPCC, the Congress party in Nagaland has been trying to champion the political morality of the Nagas. The NPF observed that their recent struggle to be politically relevant was just an attempt of publicity stunt,” the NPF’s media cell stated in a note today.
The Congress party’s “trademark exercise to blame their political adversaries in all fronts has been spectacularly incompetent”, according to the NPF. In the recent Aonglenden by-election episode, the cell added, whether the NPCC president and the CLP leader should shoulder the responsibility of the defeat of their party candidate or throw the blame only to the NPF. “It is perhaps their decision for the heads to roll,” the NPF media note added.
