Dimapur, October 17 (MExN): “Baffled” at the comments of the opposition NPF on the issue of the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2016, the NDPP today advise the NPF to “refrain from taking the high moral ground and stop teaching the PDA Government what is good governance and what development entails.”
Urging the NPF to desist from jumping the gun and criticizing the present Chef Minister, the NDPP, instead asked them to come forward with positive suggestions “as to how best we can safeguard the interests of the Naga people.”
“Not only have thorough discussions been undertaken but a series of resolutions rejecting the CAB have already been passed which sadly does not have the participation of the opposition NPF for reasons best known to them,” said the press statement issued by NDPP Media & Communication Committee.
It condemned the NPF that, instead of trying to shield their past mistakes by pointing fingers at the Chief Minister and the PDA government, should, “as a responsible matured political party, in fact acknowledge their shortcomings and apologize to the people for betraying the confidence of the people by having boycotted important discussions, debates and resolutions of apex tribal Hohos, CSOs and the state government.”
While admitting that the CAB was proposed in July 2016 in the Lok Sabha and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee the next month, the NDPP alleged that the then Government under the leadership of the present Leader of Opposition “did not raise even a whisper of opposition, nor did the then Cabinet mention it even in passing unlike the present Cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, which had discussed the issue threadbare four times in a short period of time.”
“Though the NDPP led PDA right from the beginning have been of the firm conviction that Article 371(A) and the strict implementation of the ILP regime would protect the people of Nagaland from the proposed CAB, the apprehensions of the people and civil societies were taken into consideration and the PDA Government had, on various occasions, taken up these concerns with the central leaders.”
The ruling party acknowledged the central leadership in taking their suggestions into consideration and acted positively.
On the accusation that the PDA government was shying away from its responsibilities, both inside as well as outside the NLA, the NDPP countered that it was in fact “their elected representatives who staged two walk outs during question hour of the 3rd sitting of the 13th NLA.”
“When the ‘principal’ opposition party behaves in such an immature manner inside the people’s house, it is indeed questionable as to who is actually shying away from their responsibilities!”
“The people of Nagaland have tried and tested the NPF and have found it wanting in many fronts – they wanted a change, and that change has come in the form of the NDPP-BJP Peoples Democratic Alliance.” And with this change, the NDPP pledged to take the people of Nagaland into “a realm of good governance, more development, peace and prosperity.”
