Dimapur, June 6 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has come out with new figures pointing out that the “Balance Credit Revenue (BCR) gap of Nagaland State is now a whopping Rs. 675.18 crores”. “The DAN government should explain the reason for this huge BCR gap to the people of Nagaland”, stated a press note issued by Dr. K. Hoshi Chairman, Media Cell, NPCC while pointing out that this BCR gap has been attributed as the main reason for delaying the finalization of the State’s plan outlay. This is the first time in 47 years of its existence that the State is not able to finalize the plan size, the NPCC noted.
The Opposition Congress also pointed out that Nagaland was the only State in India that has not implemented the 6th RoP and that the DAN government had laid bare that it is not in a position to implement the 6th RoP in toto as demanded by CANSSEA w.e.f June 1, 2006. The reason cited was lack of additional resources. The Congress pointed out that the major factors that contributed to this lack of resources were rampant misuse of funds and DAN government’s rejection of Rs. 400/- crore offered as advance plan assistance by the UPA government.
“In short, the DAN government simply lacks political will to implement the 6th RoP. Else, why is the Chief Minister, who also holds the finance minister refuses to meet the CANSSEA till today?” the NPCC questioned while adding that the setting up of the 6th RoP Commission headed at the bureaucratic level was another ploy to shift the political responsibility and buy time. “It is amply clear that even if the CANSSEA adopt fast unto death as its next course of agitation the DAN government is hell-bent by compulsion of fund crunch not to implement the 6th RoP”.
It was stated that in 2001, the Congress government could implement the 5th RoP for the State employees without any financial assistance from the Centre. “Therefore, the DAN government should own moral responsibility for its failure and pave the way for a new political dispensation”, the NPCC demanded.
Stating that the people of Nagaland especially the State employees know now that the solution did not lie with the DAN government anymore, the NPCC pointed out that the present government had lost the confidence of the people. “DAN government cannot even finalize the State’s plan outlay let alone mobilize fund for implementation of 6th RoP. It will rather add cumulative debt. The State’s total outstanding is over Rs. 6000 crores and it is still mounting. In this given situation, it is important for the people of Nagaland to realize that the huge deficit created by the DAN government have to be arrested at the earliest to save the common men”, the NPCC stated.
Pointing out that the seven years of its rule has been badly plagued with financial crisis caused by power abuse; the Opposition Congress stated that the entire State of Nagaland has been held ransom by the corrupt DAN government. “Any democratic government is expected to run on collective responsibility. But the DAN government is a one man’s show due to which, the government of the day has no perspective plan for the State”, it was stated.
In the last 3 months, the Congress party in Nagaland as responsible opposition had raised several issues of public importance in print media. The charges of corruption were dully substantiated by facts and figures, the NPCC note stated. Yet, the NPF-led DAN government chose to remain silent on many issues and that even where it responded, the NPF alone did so, on DAN government’s behalf without substance. Where, the Congress demanded explanations from the leaderships of DAN government, bureaucrats were made stooges to issue statements on its behalf. The DAN government has developed cold-feet on issues of public importance, the NPCC further stated.
The Opposition Congress stated that the DAN government’s silence can only mean an admission or callousness and that the “lackadaisical attitude of the government is bad for democracy”. “The means of a viable democratic practice will naturally lose its essence when the opposition’s voice is gagged or ignored. The DAN government should know that the opposition’s voice is the voice of the people against its misrule”.
