By Oken Jeet Sandham
KOHIMA, Feb 1 (NEPS): NPCC President SI Jamir said their Congress party has understood the demand of a “Frontier Nagaland” by ENPO as “sensitive” and taken it very seriously right from the beginning. “But the problem is the DAN Chief Minister was flip-flopping in handling this sensitive issue right from the beginning, thereby heightening the issue,” the NPCC President told NEPS here at Congress Bhavan on Tuesday.
The NPCC chief said the problem arose as Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had shown his “helplessness” to ENPO leaders when they (ENPO leaders) met him over the issue. “Why has he not tried to understand their difficulties and grievances,” asked Jamir.
Reacting to the insensitivity of Chief Minister to the sensitive issue, the NPCC President pointed out that his (Chief Minister) “main task is to find out their grievances and not push the matter further.” “But he didn’t do that,” regretted the NPCC chief.
On the Government’s statement that a meeting of Joint Legislative Forum with office bearers of ENPO would be called to address the issue, Jamir said from the beginning, they (DAN Government) took the matter lightly.
On NPF President Dr Shurhozelie’s comment that the matter (Frontier State demand) was between the Center and the ENPO, thereby he had no comment, the NPCC President said, “Of course, technically he (Dr Shurhozelie) may say so.” “But the issue is the concern of the entire people of Nagaland,” he pointed out adding, “For the Congress, they are always prepared to listen to the grievances of the people of this region and solve it amicably.”
On law and order front, the NPCC chief disclosed that the “kidnappings and extortions” were still rampant in the state and these were “law and order subject.” Surprisingly, this DAN Government was trying to shift all these as well as the administrative failures to “political problem,” “This is wrong,” he stated.
Stating that they were not satisfied with Imkong L Imchen as Home, Jamir said their earlier demand of his removal from the Home Ministership “still stands.”
