Nagaland CM held hostage by BJP: Congress

The All India Congress Committee's media coordinator Mahima Singh said the BJP has held Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio hostage as the party knows his “weak spots” such as incomplete high court building and medical colleges in the state.

Addressing the media at the Congress Bhavan here on February 10, Singh said: “With utmost responsibility, I do say this is politics of ransom because the friends of Rio from the BJP function with that sort of mindset. They can blackmail because they know the inside story of your chief minister.”

Singh urged Rio to present his “report card” to the people of Nagaland. She asked whether the conscience of the NDPP is dead.

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She said though Nagaland received the Centre’s complete share of Rs 171.10 crore for Kohima Medical College, the state government officials lied to governor Jagdish Mukhi when he raised concerns over the non-completion of the medical college a few months ago. The officials told the governor that the funds have not been released because of the pandemic while in reality the complete amount had been paid to the state as of November 22, 2019, she said.

She asked what happened to Rio’s assurance on February 18, 2021, that the Kohima Medical College will start taking admissions for the academic year 2022-23.

For the Mon Medical College site, Singh said, Rs 242.5 crore of the Centre’s total share of Rs 292.5 crore has been received by the Rio government. “Yet the plight of the trusting citizens of Nagaland meets no end,” she said.

Singh opined that the conscience of the UDA government seems to be absolutely dead as it faces no opposition in the legislative assembly.

The AICC leader asked state health and family welfare minister S Pangnyu Phom, who is a BJP legislator, why they have not kept their word to the people when they have received the entire sum for Kohima Medical College and about 90% of the money for Mon Medical College.

“Is he hand in glove with the Union ministry in engorging people’s money,” she further asked.

Saying that it is time for the people of Nagaland to reflect and respond, Singh urged: “Respond to malice with a rebuttal, respond to hope with positivity.”