The promptness of the Home Minister G Kaito Aye in responding to the statement of the NPCC the very next day was badly missing when the Dec 21 incident at Aghuito under Zunheboto district was left to spiral out of control and the state govt remaining clueless and hapless to address a situation that ended in violent confrontation costing 2 innocent lives and leaving six injured.
The NPCC finds it amusing that the Home Minister choose to give a lengthy discourse on the sequence of events leading to the siege of Mukali designated camp and its destruction rather than accept moral responsibility for the turn of events that has put the state in a precarious position which has enough potential to create serious ramifications on the ongoing Indo Naga political peace talks. The Home Minister going on record to state “one can simply imagine what would be the human tragedies had the state govt not asked the NSCN (IM) cadres to vacate their camp at Mukali,” has proven all along the Congress contention that the state govt could have avoided the standoff and the resultant loss of lives, had it acted promptly with all the state resources at its disposal when the situation was simmering.
The silence of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio throughout the entire ordeal was indeed baffling when he is always quick to jump the gun on issues outside the state. Though the Home Minister would like to proudly proclaim his role and effort in the entire episode, the total disappearance of the state govt machinery was glaringly evident, a bitter fact that had even prompted the NPF Working President Huska to publicly question the state govt for not coming to the rescue of the Sumi people or if the state govt had forgotten their tribe. The NSCN (IM) too had also gone on record to criticize the state govt for its failure in handling the entire situation. Therefore, both the Chief Minister and the Home minister cannot escape the blame for the utter callousness displayed by the NPF govt where an extraordinary situation of public unrest against injustice was allowed to unfold into violent confrontation.
By needlessly questioning the Congress MLAs of Zunheboto, the Home Minister has contradicted himself when he had categorically stated the Zunheboto issue should not be politicized. The NPCC therefore concludes that the contradictory statement of the Home Minister is a desperate attempt to shield the Chief Minister who choose to play deaf and dumb on the Zunheboto incident and to cover up his own abject failure and dismal handling of the entire situation since it is the bounden duty of those in govt to enforce the rule of law as the entire govt machinery is at their disposal.
On the justification of the Home Minister about his track record as R&B Minister in the last govt, the deplorable roads of Nagaland mirrors his achievement for which the NPCC need not elaborate further as the public remains the best witness.
The Zunheboto episode has once again proved that the NPF led DAN govt headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has run out of ideas to govern the state other than indulging in partying and merrymaking activities that glues them toghether with scant regards towards the cries of the people. Repeated justifications and rejoinders will invite more scorn from the people who have regularly witnessed the impotency of the NPF govt that has miserably failed to protect the rights and lives of its citizen’s. The people and the state will be spared from more misery if the NPF govt steps down gracefully rather than fiddle around without any semblance of its existence when people needs them the most.
Issued by: Media Cell, NPCC
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