Chishi flays Rio, says time to draw lessons from Sri Lanka
New Delhi/Dimapur
Former Nagaland Chief Minister and senior politician K L Chishi on Thursday lashed out at the Neiphiu Rio-led 'opposition-less government and said the only achievement of this regime has been a combination of gross corruption, nepotism, promoting tribalism and an autocratic style of functioning.
Blogger and Former Nagaland CM
"Where is peace and solution...Lip service cannot bring these lofty ideals. If things were so, Nagaland would have been heaven long back. This dispensation has made things worse. As a senior politician, one feels pained at heart to see what all is going around," Chishi told 'Nagaland Page' in a telephonic interview.
"It has double whammy....First corruption. Sanctioned money got into some pockets. Secondly, ill treat people and areas you do not like. ENPO area is development starved, its share was a modest Rs 11.95 crore from a department and the areas falling under Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Wokha got Rs 9.5 crore".
"You do not run a welfare state like this. We find these approaches in olden day's fables of stepmothers making their stepchildren suffer. People find these insulting and provocative. It is time to draw lessons from what's going around in countries like Sri Lanka," he cautioned.
"Nagas deserve equitable distribution of funds meant for growth and development irrespective of tribal bias or
colour," the former Chief Minister emphasised.
"In 2018 when the NDPP-led government took over there was a grand claim, 'Change is Coming?'...and oh goodness.
If this is change; we should not have it. Never," he said.
"....for the first time in the history of Nagaland Assembly, a mere 15 minutes was the duration for sessions
and of course, that was a great change, and my 'G' is capital here".
Mr Chishi - under whose ministry CM Rio served as Power Minister in 1990 - said, "Negative and diabolical politics
were played. Funds were pumped in some select districts especially since 2018... As an example, I can tell you,
Kiphire and Longleng got zero funds from the Minority Affairs under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK). Why?
Tell me, what is their crime?"
In contrast, Kohima got Rs 51.5 crore and Chumukedima Rs 45.21 crore, he says.
To a question, the former Chief Minister said, "In 2018 they gave the slogan 'Change is Coming...' and in the
process what we have is some mega projects rotting in negligence. The Nagaland Stadium is one of them.
The Cricket Stadium at Sovima village near CM's house does not look better. Road communication is at a standstill,
health and hospitals remain extremely pitiable".
To another question, he said, "I would not like to be harsher....But with the High Court complex there is already
an investigation. Law should take its course".
Chishi, who has handled the portfolio of Finance in the past, also said, "In the list of mis-governance comes
the poorest conditions of state finances today despite some good amount coming in from centrally sponsored
schemes".
"In corruption and diversion of funds, this government is the worst regime ever in the history of Nagaland".
Another issue he is concerned about is "unemployment and backdoor appointments with prejudiced jaundiced eyes".
Answering questions on the peace process, he said, "Some brownie points are claimed here and there. They are busy
stealing media limelight. What we have is lip service. They compete in making things
worse. Often ministers and senior leaders contradict each other. The Chief Minister himself contradicts what he
says in May and what he says in June. Things are in a mess as a result".
He lamented that all such chaotic things continued unabated in Nagaland when BJP was part of the government.
"At the national level, the BJP claims itself as a model of good governance and probity in public life. In Nagaland,
I am sad to note and stunned that they allowed such peak of mis-governance and miscarriage of justice for
the Naga people. People will hold everyone accountable, such days are not far off".
Chishi maintained that the worst of the 'sins' committed by the state government is lop-sided development and
indiscriminate way of fund allocation.
"People are angry today.... I am worried. People were shell-shocked to find that in some departments, a few districts
walked away with Rs 191.7 crore and the rest of Nagaland got Rs 106 crore".
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India stands with people of Sri Lanka in quest for 'stability and economic recovery'
New Delhi
India has asserted that it stands firmly with the people of crisis-hit Sri Lanka and will continue to help the island nation attain stability and economic recovery through "democratic means".
"We would stand with them in their quest for stability, economic recovery through democratic means and values, established democratic institutions and the constitutional framework. And I think the fact that this transition happened through the constitutional framework is a clear and positive indicator," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi toldreporters here.
On some 'economic packages', he said, "Now that they have a new President, and they will probably take more steps ahead to set up a government, and they also have these discussions with the IMF. Let's see, what is required, what happens".
Moreover, he hastened to add, "I think, we have extended assistance in various ways and some of it is actually not even fully utilized, some of it has been utilized. So we will look at all that, as I said, we will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka".
India-China issues:
Answering a series of questions on India-China ties and border related issues, the MEA spokesman said,"I would like to say and reiterate what I have been saying earlier that we are engaged with the Chinese side. We are having this diplomatic as well as military discussions to resolve the issues from our perspective, which is disengagement, de-escalation, having some degree of stability and normalcy on the border areas".
"I think that's the path we would remain focused on," he said adding such measures would certainly help in improving the "overall relations".
Mr Bagchi further said, "....our point as you know, has been a larger issue, which says that if you can resolve the issues particularly on disengagement and that would help in de-escalation and restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western sector and that would be the right step towards enabling a progress in the bilateral relations".
"I don't think I would be able to add much more to that in terms of assessment," he added.
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