'Neiphiu Rio's leadership of immoral political tactics'

Kohima, 26th June 2019

Yet, the infamous history repeats of Neiphiu Rio's leadership of immoral political tactics, which reached its zenith again. It's all deja vu as when under his leadership in 2003, the BJP party was washed off in Nagaland and he acknowledged the feat with pride at various platforms.

The hypocrisy of Rio runs deep, and it'll be a Herculean task even for him to wriggle out of it and save the little dignity that is left for him in the political field. The hunger for power is overwhelming and the means used to achieve the same by means of money and muscle power is an indelible blot and a bad precedent set for the present and the future generations of the Nagas.

Human memories are not short that the formation of the NDPP led PDA government started from a very noxious setup. While the NPF was in negotiation with the BJP party on the latter's demand for seat sharing, out of the blue Rio's NDPP offered 20 seats on a platter to the BJP. Had NDPP contested on its own and not hijacked the deal, which was being worked out, they would have had a bitter result and left squirming.

Nonetheless, the deal they struck with the BJP rewarded them with 18 seats, one seat won under questionable circumstances and a sizable 12 seats for the BJP, thus taking their numbers to 30, one short of the required to form a government.

This was the juncture where; Rio started his immoral political tactics. Rio first rob in the lone JDU MLA and keeping one of the two NPP MLAs under confinement, as these two political parties were pre-poll alliance partners of the NPF party.

Even the lone independent MLA approach the NPF party first and pledge support, however before it could be made official, Rio's cohorts got hold of him and offered plump portfolio thus getting his support officially. This was the start of the NDPP led PDA government, which on hindsight is rife with horse-trading and nefarious back channeling.

As if enough immorality hasn't been committed by the Rio's NDPP, with 34 members in the PDA government, the merger of the 2 NPP MLAs and now the lone JDU MLA into NDPP only goes to prove that Rio would stop at nothing and care for no one to achieve his selfish goals. As the two parties MLAs were the constituent of the PDA Government even before their merger with the NDPP and now merging to strengthen the PDA Government is beyond comprehension.

The actual game plan started on the day one of the announcement of election result in 2018, Rio managed to illegally manage to steal the 6th Tening constituency seat to his MLA Namri Nchang even after the winning certificate was issued to the NPF candidate, NR Zeliang by the RO. This will be the first ever in the history of the country where the RO served another winning certificate to another candidate (Namri) the next day. However, the matter is at the Guwahati High Court and it will give its judgement soon.

One wonder when the State was left with a record 1234 Crores deficit during his 11 years as the then Chief Minister of the State though he started with a surplus, courtesy the one-time grant by the Late. Vajpayee government, to drawing 735 crores as additional fund during 2018-19 as answered in the Assembly during budget session but fails to give a detail account of how such huge amount of money has been spent as sought by the Leader of Opposition Shri. T.R. Zeliang.

The LoP had insisted that the government give an answer to such important query even in the print media but till today the government has been tight lipped in this regard which only proves that this government is not as transparent and accountable as they proclaim themselves to be. Just as the formation of the Government was mired with unfair means, so also is the performance of the government which lacks the much-needed transparency and accountability.

The people of the State know that the additional fund released is a short-term loan from RBI to meet the emergency needs of the State. And if the State fails to recover the amount within a stipulated time as per guidelines of the RBI, the same will be accumulated and be part of the State deficit and the high rate of interest will keep bogging down the economic and financial state of Nagaland, for which the common people will face the ugly consequences.

One is made to wonder as to what the Chief Minister of Nagaland had done with the 735 Crores of Rupees during the year 2018-19. We could only speculate that the gigantic amount might have been used to nudge the MLAs to shift loyalty and merge with his party and continue poaching and horse-trading unabated.

Naga people should speak against the sinister activities, lest a select few unscrupulous persons rain down devastating repercussions in the long run by creating more and more liabilities to the State exchequer. The alleged money spent on buying loyalties of the MLAs is only for the convenience of one single party at the expense of the Naga People is questionable and condemnable by one and all.

Issue by:
Press Bureau,
Naga People's Front,
Central Headquarter,
Kohima: Nagaland.