Dimapur, June 18 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee today issued a statement reaffirming its support to the ongoing movement against “unabated taxation” spearheaded by ACAUT, while criticizing the NPF led DAN government for partially blaming the central government for the ‘taxation’ happening in the State. “The DAN government cannot absolve itself from the cries and demands of the people burdened with unabated taxation which has reached a boiling point.”
A press note from the NPCC media cell stated that since the main demand of the ACAUT is for one tax only to each Naga national group and an end to dealership and syndicate systems, which has led to monopolization of the market and manipulation of prices by some few individuals, the DAN government “shifting the blame on the Congress government at the centre for not ensuring rehabilitation package for the Naga UG groups is simply a naive approach to the serious issue confronting the state.”
Further it stated that “overwhelming response” to today’s bandh in Dimapur and Kohima called by Action Committee Against Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) under the aegis of Naga Council Dimapur and Kohima Town Traders Union (KTTU) respectively, and supported by various business establishments in different districts should be an eye opener for the DAN government.
The NPCC also alleged that during the past 11 years of its rule, DAN government had never brought out the issue of sustenance and rehabilitation of the Naga groups and it was only when the people’s movement gained momentum that “the DAN government has resorted to shedding “crocodile tears” to sweep out the issue of unabated taxation under the guise of Naga political movement. “Since law and order is a state subject, the government of the day has to have a political will to enforce the writ of the state to maintain the rule of law, but very often the DAN government tries to confuse law and order problem with Naga political issue thereby abdicating the mandate given by the people to govern the state, the mandate which they proudly parrots on every occasion.”
The statement further pointed out that the movement to check unabated taxation and corruption should start with the state government itself “as brought out earlier by the NPCC and which has also been highlighted even by the Naga National groups.” However, it stated that it was bewildering to note the silence of the same civil societies when it comes to the acts of omission and commission committed by the state government for the past decade. “The system of commission institutionalized by the DAN government slices nearly 40% of any payment made by the state government and this has silenced the government itself to turn a blind eye to other nefarious activities across the state.” It also expressed concern that the mushrooming of illegal syndicates and dealerships in addition to numerous welfare associations, NGOs and civil societies engaged in collection of funds under the patronage of some individuals/groups with vested interest has throttled the economy of the state.
“Though the NPF led DAN leaders never fail to parrot the so-called ‘overwhelming peoples mandate’ to take potshots at the Congress when cornered on major issues, yet it has become clear that the writ of the state has been hijacked by nefarious elements and the DAN government is unable to extricate itself from the clutches of these elements who are destroying away the socioeconomic fabric of the state,” it added.
Meanwhile, the NPCC appealed to the people of the state to unanimously stand and fight against the issue of unabated taxation and not to be cowed down by intimidation and threats which may be posed by some people with vested interest.
