Dimapur, December 15 (MExN): The Congress continues its tirade at Rio’s ministry ever since the no-confidence session on the 13th. Chief of Nagaland Progressive Alliance, I Imkong in a statement attacked the government and the assembly Speaker for what was stated as the latter’s “malafide intention.”
The action of the Speaker has been outrageous with malafide intention to save Neiphiu Rio’s Government, I Imkong stated. “It is an unconstitutional, undemocratic and arbitrary action on the part of the Speaker of the House not to count the votes of 9 NPF MLAs who voted in favour of the No-Confidence Motion besides disallowing 3 Independent MLAs to exercise their voting rights in favour of or against any party in the House” the opposition lamented. According to the CLP leader the Independents have every right to exercise their rights in the Assembly for any side they wish to support. Imkong maintained that the Speaker had announced the results of the No-Confidence Motion against Rio’s Ministry by fraud by declaring 23 Members, who had opposed the No-Confidence Motion, had won by defeating the Motion against 31 members who voted for and supported the motion.
The Congress also referred to the chief minister’s charging the Congress of adopting an unconstitutional approach and also accusing Imkong of confining 31 members at his official residence with ‘armed elements’. “We have clarified the matter in the House and we want to reiterate that those armed elements Mr Rio referred to are no other than the personal bodyguards of the hon’ble members. On the other hand, Mr Rio is trying to make use of our underground friends to threaten our hon’ble members to back out from the Nagaland Progressive Alliance” the opposition claimed.
Maintaining that “It is not new for Mr Neiphiu Rio to speak one thing and do exactly the opposite” Imkong said to submit evidence that “some of our underground leaders have been threatening some of our Hon’ble Members to back out from the NPA.” In the last 5 years, Rio’s actions have been to retain power by hook or crook and indulge in rampant corruption, Imkong claimed adding that “even last night, his ministers and his businessmen friends have been going around offering up to Rs 5 Crores to those hon’ble members who will support Mr Rio.”
“The ball is now in the court of His Excellency, the Governor of Nagaland and the Union Government and we await an early decision without further delay” Imkong added.
