DIMAPUR, MARCH 6 (MExN): In its bid to romp home to victory in the two assembly constituencies which go to polls on March 8, the Congress in Nagaland is harping on the ‘failure’ of the NPF-led DAN government on political, economic and administration fronts.
Addressing a press conference at the DCC office in Dimapur today, Congress Legislature Party leader, I Imkong, made a scathing attack on the ruling government by accusing those in office of indulging in “rampant corruption.” Accompanied by AICC Observer, Major Ved Prakash, and the party’s Convenor of the Election Campaign Committee for Dimapur-1 A/C, Nuzota Swuro, Imkong said the DAN had incurred a “miserable failure” on the political front. “They asked people to vote for them in 2003 promising quick fix of the Naga issue.” However, over the years, the sitting government has ended up in confusion, the CLP leader said.
On the economic platform, the Congress stalwart put up a challenge in the form of a question: “We want to ask DAN what has happened to four-laning of Dimapur-Kohima road.” He enquired where the Rs 400 Crore given by the previous NDA government had disappeared and also wished to know where Rs 650 Crore for employment of 25,000 youth had evaporated. Besides the 1000 youth employed outside the State through the government’s initiative, “I do not see self-employment programmes,” he added.
Besides the ‘Years of Farmers’ and the Bamboo Mission, completion of no new programmes, whether funded by the Centre, NEC or the State can be observed, Imkong said. Giving his party credit, he said all completed projects were those that were initiated when the Congress was in rule. Terming every department as corrupt, he laid blame on Home Minister Thenucho for pocketing Rs 37 Crore from the Police modernization scheme.
On the functioning of the State’s administration, he said, “All rules are being flouted.” Bringing Thenucho under another barrage of attacks, he asked the minister to explain how 59 Police officers were recruited without their being interviewed. Reminding of the fake gun licence racket, he inquired what had happened to the responsible officers and people involved in the scam.
“How many were charged and penalized?” He also dug up the textbook, NPSC and fraudulent pension withdrawal scams by saying that though the Government established a Special Task Force to investigate the irregularities, no tangible results have been produced.
On his part, Major Ved Prakash harped on what the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre “is going in a very well-planned manner, carrying out various developments.” He dwelt at length on the various schemes and projects Delhi is undertaking for both rural and urban areas, not forgetting to mention that special emphasis is also being placed on the North East. Mincing no words, he said, “The present government (in Nagaland) is not functioning well.” He said the bye-polls were turning points for the people to install a Congress government.
For Cong, bye-polls ‘warm-up’, not ‘semi-finals’
According to AICC Observer, Major Ved Prakash, if the NPF loses in the ‘semi-finals’ it will not be able to enter the finals in 2008. Prakash, also AICC Secretary, was supplementing CLP Leader I Imkong’s statement that for the Congress, the bye-polls in Dimapur-1 and Tuensang Sadar-II is a “warm-up” exercise. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had yesterday said the polls would serve as a “semi-final” as a run-up to the assembly elections next year for the NPF. Imkong, displaying puzzlement over Rio’s usage of vocabulary, said he did not know on what grounds the Chief Minister had said “semi-finals.”
‘NPF attempting to disrupt polls’
It also expressed apprehension over the possibility that NPF-sponsored youth and anti-socials might engage in booth-capturing and poll-rigging during the bye-elections to the Dimapur-1 constituency. Nuzota Swuro, Convenor of the Congress campaign for the constituency, said, “NPF Party has booked all hotels in Dimapur” to lodge “thousands” of persons from outside the constituency, who are not voters, with a view to disrupt free and fair elections. “Their (NPF’s) only hope is money and power,” he said.
If and when a situation arises because of the developments, the Congress’ formula is that it will use “legal means” to counter “illegal forces.” The party said it hopes genuine voters will come out to protect their franchising rights.
