Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Feb. 17 (EMN): Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Sat. reacted sharply to the allegation that his government was “visionless and corrupt.” He said that his govt. had brought out a document called “Vision 2030” and claimed that it had initiated more developmental projects than any other had during Nagaland's 55 years as a state.
Zeliang said this during a meeting at the Naga People's Front's (NPF) Mokokchung division office in Mokokchung. He said that the sole agenda and manifesto of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) for the forthcoming general elections 'seems to be fixated on him and his educational qualifications.' “I am not appearing for any NPSC examination,” Zeliang said. The chief minister has explained that Vision 2030 envisages plans and programmes to impart skills to the youths of Nagaland, improve the overall living standards of the people, concentrate on ‘agriculture and allied sectors’ to improve the economy of rural areas; bring reforms in the government to provide better governance to the people; eradicate corruption and malpractice.
Further, Zeliang spoke his side of the story concerning his parting ways with the NDPP's chief ministerial candidate Neiphiu Rio in the first week of December the previous year. “When we realized that Rio’s intention was to freeze the NPF symbol and take all the 36 MLAs to his party NDPP, we had to reconcile with Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu to save the NPF party. We heaved a sigh of relief when Rio left NPF and went back to his NDPP,” he said.
Zeliang pointed fingers also at the Bharatiya Janata Party for deciding to contest elections at a time when Naga civil organisations were leading a campaign for ‘solution before election.’ He said that the NPF was put under a similar situation in 1998. The chief minister has claimed that the BJP had asked the NPF to accede 15 seats to enter into an alliance. The NPF refused because ‘seat sharing is not applicable in Nagaland,’ Zeliang claimed.
