Dimapur, March 31 (EMN): Responding to the challenge posed by Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) on all political parties for a public debate on corruption, NPF termed it amusing that ACAUT, which it described ‘an un-mandated organisation with a few busy-bodies spearheading its supposedly social crusade with the grandiose and utopian aim to cure the society of all social ills in a matter of months.’
NPF Media and Press Bureau today said organising such an event is not new at all since the ACAUT sponsored ‘Common Platform on Naga Issue’ on September 12, 2015, turned out to be a 'huge flop and a slap on its face' with all mass-based civil societies boycotting it and the turn out at the platform was embarrassing as only a handful made it and pictures of empty chairs were acutely pitiful.
While reminding ACAUT members that NPF does not defend or condone any kind of corruption in the system, it said the deep-rooted corruption in the society is all-pervading and require concerted efforts of everyone to eradicate it. NPF said this cannot be done in a short period of time and cannot expect miracles to happen right in front of our eyes.
Stating that providing good governance to the people being the professed and avowed stand of the NPF-led DAN government, it said the president and chief minister, in several closed door meetings with senior party functionaries and party legislators, had warned of stern action against those involved in corrupt practices saying he shall not hesitate to show ‘Red Card’ against defaulters.
It also accused ACAUT of being grossly off the mark when it alleged there are press secretaries to the chief minister drawing government salaries and working in the media & press bureau of the NPF central office. It rather said the bureau has sincere and dedicated party functionaries who voluntarily render their services to the party and the people without expecting or drawing any pecuniary benefits from the government.
On the press secretary or media officers to the chief minister, it said they are appointed on a co-terminus basis, adding it is the discretion of any chief minister to appoint persons of his choice and no procedural lapses were involved in these appointments. Moreover, it said those attached to the chief minister need not necessarily mean they are manning the Media & Press Bureau of the party and/ or even if they are involved in the functioning of the party affairs it is nothing out of the ordinary since they are political appointees.
As for declaration of assets, it advised ACAUT leaders to remember that every contesting candidate to the Assembly elections declare their property/ assets, moveable or immovable on affidavit papers before the Election Commission and which are displayed for public consumption. It also advised them to remember the adage that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones on others, and stop making utterances and allegations ‘lest the dirt under the carpets at their homes are exposed, whereby, they themselves would be made to look like the proverbial foolish Emperor they mentioned.’
Further in the interest of everyone, it asked ACAUT to get their facts and figures right before shooting off their mouth saying the population of Nagaland, according to 2011 Census, stands at 19,78,502. It wondered how or from where it came up with the population as “not more than 12 lakhs.”
