Kohima, Jan 23 (NEPS): Former Nagaland Speaker and senior Congress leader Z Lohe expressed serious concern over the prevailing situation in the state. He said factional killings, bloodshed and clashes in the state are on the rise for the last four years than it was in the past under the Congress ministry.
Talking to NEPS here, the former Speaker recalled how present Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who was till the fag end of Jamir’s last Congress ministry as Home Minister, ‘used Jamir as one of his main electoral weapons against the Congress in the last election’. “He (Jamir) was accused of being the main stumbling block to the peace process,” he said. “So he (Rio) managed to remove Jamir and therefore the roadblock was supposed to be removed.”
Unfortunately there had been more bloodshed during the last four years than the past Congress ministry under Jamir’s leadership, Lohe regretted. “It is for the people now to understand what one propagates and what one actually does in practice”, he pointed out. “I think the Naga people are now mature enough to understand the differences”. The former Speaker recalled the Congress’ slogan in 1998 about the solution of the Naga political issue. It was “United and go for solution”, he stated. But the chorus of the Congress was silenced by the odd majority, so as the ongoing the dialogue.
He, however, explained that unless one sat for an exam, one would not know the ‘question of pass or fail’. So the NSCN-IM, he argued, was now sitting for the exam. It would be better for the people to wait and see the outcome of it “and to accept or reject the outcome depends on the quality of the result”, he stated. “So it is left to the people”.
He however lambasted the performance of the Rio Government on the Naga political issue, saying they seemed ‘scared’ of whatever the outcome of the talk would be. “To this point anybody can dispute with me but why this Government should be afraid of the result or for that matter the dialogue if they stand by its declared policy,” he averred.
On the frequent face-off between the NSCN factions and also with the federal groups particularly in Phek, Lohe said it was wrong for the factions to put the security of any citizen at stake under any circumstances. “It should rather be the principle of any individual or groups claiming to be fighting for the political rights of our people to always see that public peace is secure,” he explained.
On the other hand, the Government has its bounden duty to ensure the security of each citizen with or without public pressure or any one reminding them (Government), he said. Whereas on most occasions of threat to public peace and tranquility, “this Government chooses to remain a mere mute spectator”, although they are armed with enforceable potential such as Cease Fire ground rules under which, he explained, they have every right to discipline anyone trying to threaten the “peace in the land”. “Yet this Government is found to have no interest to use those given facilities in protecting the lives and security of its citizens”, he pointed out.
As far as CPO was concerned, he said they had taken a very “mature decision” to remain under the aegis of the NNC. “So we unanimously decided to abide by the NNC without siding with any particular faction. But there is no unanimity in the division of federal set up”, he asserted.
Unfortunately the federal set up is now divided into two. This division is being explored and exploited by other faction. “Therefore we could not fully blame the intrusion of others into our district (Phek) without ‘introspection into our position’”, he stated.
