Kohima, September 29 (MExN): The Nagaland Congress today expressed ‘serious concern’ over the reported summoning of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) by the Union Home Minister (UHM) to discuss the demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland’ State on October 18.
It further demanded the present United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Government of Nagaland to make its “stand clear to the people and Government of India (GoI) on the demand for Frontier Nagaland State.
The summoning of ENPO to discuss the demand for Frontier Nagaland is a serious concern for Congress and perhaps for all those who love Nagaland, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) asserted in a press statement from its President K Therie.
‘The subject is to divide Nagaland State and may even result in the loss of Article 371(A) in the way Jammu &Kashmir lost Article 370,’ it declared, likening any such potential action to “Disintegration of Nagaland.”
The UHM may also promise in the manner he has done to Kukis political group, for votes, it added.
As per the NPCC, it was a “design” of GoI to counter the demand for integration, and “fuelled by the BJP and alliance (NPF) Govt.’s negligence, suppression, injustice and inequality in development activities and job distribution.”
Appealing for the rethink on the demand the “rethink on the demand,” the NPCC implied that the Congress had earlier “assured to relocate the DUDA (Department of Under Developed Areas) and committed a Mini-Secretariat at Tuensang,” with the objective of “enable planning, supervision and disbursement of payments there itself.” But such plan could not materialise as “this was rejected by the mandate.”
“However, we still feel there is a need to pay special attention in matters of road connectivity and others basic infrastructures,” it added.
“Rs 300 crore vanished into thin air. Other funds are drawn with no significant works seen on the ground for the last 20 years,” it further alleged, without elaborating. The NPCC further maintained that if the government is bad, legislators from ENPO have their share of bad, for all 20 MLAs are in the ruling government in Nagaland
The majority party is headed by none other than veteran leader Chingwang Konyak as NDPP President who also continues to enjoy Cabinet status, it pointed out.
