Let history also record how the Yimkhiung people were openly stabbed in the back by Rio’s opposition-less government.
By Joel Naga and Amai Chingkhu
The open letter of the apex Yimkhiung tribal body, the YTC, dated December 28, 2021, made it very clear that Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio promised them a district if the NDPP candidate S Keoshu was elected unopposed, which the Yimkhiung voters did. So far neither the Hon’ble CM nor the NDPP, BJP, NPF coalition have refuted this assertion which means the assertion is true.
Thus without keeping their side of the bargain – immoral to begin with and undemocratic as well, Chief Minister Rio and his entire cabinet decided to throw the whole Yimkhiung community under the bus. To add insult to injury, the cabinet decided on the less appetizing ‘to upgrade Shamator sub-division into a full-fledged district IN-PRINCIPLE’ which fooled no one.
Never in history has an elected government blackmailed an entire community into submission for an MLA seat, like this UDA coalition has done. The full power of the state was shockingly misused for party politics, but nothing about the UDA coalition surprises us anymore. Against such dirty and unscrupulous politics, the greater question is, how is it that the good men and women in the NDPP, BJP and NPF continue to remain silent without their conscience being pricked?
Let history record that the coalition of NDPP, BJP and NPF conducted one of the most abhorrent wholesale businesses – the purchase of an MLA seat in lieu of promise of a new district. Let history also record how the Yimkhiung people were openly stabbed in the back by Rio’s opposition-less government.
However, to the credit of the Yimkhiungs, they refused to be victims and has rightly fought back by exposing the treachery and the lies of this coalition government for which the RPP highly appreciates the community. Every right thinking individuals and citizens need to stand up against this immoral dispensation called UDA coalition.
The politics of gaining unbridled power is the sole agenda of this coalition government. From purchased MLAs we are slowly moving into the domain of purchased districts. The RPP will not be surprised if tomorrow the coalition of NDPP, BJP and NPF carves out more districts on the give and take of “We give you districts, you elect our MLAs unopposed.”
(Joel Naga and Amai Chingkhu are members of the Rising People’s Party, Nagaland)