NPF counters Cong over ‘false claims’

Dimapur, July 14 (MExN): The media cell of the NPF today responded to the statement of the opposition Congress that the DAN government is “partisan” to the Naga political issue. It holds no truth, the NSF stated today. Also, responding to the criticism against the budget presented by the DAN, the NPF claimed that the financial health of the state is “sound and secure.” 

The NPF said that in the just-concluded budget session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, the chief minister had, in fact, urged all members irrespective of political affiliations to bury their differences and extend cooperation. A note from the NPF today said that the chief minister went to the extent of calling for a joint sitting of all sixty members of the house to discuss the Naga political issue so that the mind of the Nagas can be put across to the Government of India.

The DAN government has been very clear in its stand that although the elected representatives of the assembly are not a direct party to the ongoing negotiations, the members can all play the role of active facilitators in a positive way. The NPF expressed surprise that the opposition has been ‘speaking in two languages’ on the political issue. “They have assured their fullest cooperation  on the floor of the House but they seem to speaking a different language outside the assembly. The DAN leadership once again appeals to all sections, especially to the members of the legislative assembly, to listen to the voice of the people and support the process of peace, unity and reconciliation,” the NPF note appealed.

The NPF press bureau also stated that the opposition Congress made several ‘false claims’ of misappropriation, against the government but none of the allegations, the ruling said, have been supported by any justification. “Merely making allegations for the sake of being an opposition will not convince the people and as a mature political party consisting of several senior leaders in its ranks, the opposition should not undermine the wisdom of the people by firing blind allegations without any proof.”  The NPF also pointed out that the Speaker of the Assembly had given sufficient time to the opposition to highlight any issue of public importance during the budget session. But the opposition ‘stood exposed as it failed to highlight any major issue and on many occasions the opposition members were contradicting each other,’ the NPF claimed. 

“Therefore it is no surprise that after having failed to prove a worthwhile opposition in the assembly, the opposition has once again resorted to issuing loads of false allegations and lies through statements issued through the media” the NPF asserted.
On the budget, the NPF stated that every query and observation of the opposition was clarified by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in his reply during the general discussion on the budget. The NPF claimed that the DAN is assuring the people of Nagaland that the fiscal health of the “state is sound and secure.” The NPF even claimed that the state government under the leadership of the chief minister has been ‘practicing utmost financial prudence and there is no reason whatsoever to get worried on the financial status of the state.’