Dimapur, November 2: Referring to the government’s action of water cannoning the peaceful NSSATA protesters in Kohima on Tuesday, the ACAUT Nagaland said it is most condemnable that the Government of Nagaland instead of resolving the genuine grievances of the people is resorting to draconian brute force to suppress people’s demand for what is their right.
Stating that the response of the government towards the NSSATA teachers has numbed and shocked the entire State, the media cell of ACAUT, in a release, on Wednesday termed it as absolutely reprehensible for a government which has allegedly siphoned off wheat, rice and kerosene worth 1000s of crores to claim that there is no money to pay the salaries of its own teachers.
“There is clearly an ethical and moral deficit in way the government is operating when it buys luxury cars worth crores and yet claims that it cannot pay the salaries of the noblest of professions upon whom the future of thousands of students depend,” the ACAUT said. The ACAUT has “ethically challenged” the government for such an unfair treatment of its citizens on November 1. It opined that the government therefore does not have the moral authority to run the affairs of the State anymore.
The ACAUT urged the Governor of Nagaland who, it said, is always on the forefront raising issues of corruption to ponder upon this absolute gross mismanagement, where the “elite looters have been exalted to high status and the down trodden marked as villains”. It also requested both the Chief Minister and the Governor to check the table it provided.
The ACAUT wanted know how can the government claim it does not have money when the table clearly shows that it had more than enough funds at its disposal to not only pay the 10% State share but to even pay the entire salaries of SSA/RMSA combined if needed be. “How dare the government say that it doesn’t have money to pay the salaries of ANAHTA (Hindi) teachers – not paid since March 2016- when they’re being sponsored 100% by the Central government?” it further asked.
Alleging that corruption under this government has reached its zenith where none is spared, the ACAUT said but the government had the gall to gleefully attend the Vigilance Week giving tall speeches on corruption and probity in public life.
The ACAUT further strongly condemned the trivialization of agitations by clubbing them as ‘politically motivated’ when the government should be addressing the issues. “When the SSA, RMSA and Hindi teachers haven’t been paid for more than half a year, the habitual attitude of the government to dismiss the genuine grievances of the teachers as politically motivated is uncalled for, immoral and highly condemnable,” it added. Further, it said the Naga people are beginning to realise that this government is more concerned about staying in power than taking care of its people.
