Mani Shanker Aiyer, Union Minister of DONER and Panchayati Raj, arrives to address the first Nagaland State Convention of Sri. Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Raj Sangathan at Dimapur on Saturday, January 31. (Caisii Mao/Photo)
Dimapur : State Congress leaders including eight sitting MLAs were literally caught off guard when Union Minister for Development of North East Region (DoNER) Mani Shankar Aiyar took them to task for reportedly not raising their voice against the alleged corruption and injustices of the NPF-led DAN Government.
In a thinly-veiled statement in front of hundreds of party workers, Aiyar suggested that the opposition Congress in the state had failed to live up to the stature of an active and vibrant opposition by being silent on the activities of the state government. The minister was addressing the first Nagaland state convention of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (RGPRS) here at Dimapur Town Hall right after his arrival in Dimapur, Saturday afternoon.
Stating that the Centre had been generous enough to the small state (Nagaland), the DoNER minister who is also the chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) disclosed that NEC had sanctioned nearly 650 crore while DoNER ministry approved ninety nine projects in Nagaland over the last ten years.
He said the Congress in Nagaland has to pose three questions to the government - How the money had been used, How much money was given to the underground groups and how much was spend on development. And, he advised to ask, why the sanctioned money had not been fully spent. The Congress has also to question whether there was any nexus between the DAN government and the “extremists.”
“The number of substantiated complaints against Rio’s government by the State Congress is very few. There are many instances of the State government discriminating Congress party in Nagaland, but not enough instance of Congress bringing the matter to me,” Aiyar said. Among the State Congress leaders who shared the dais with the Union Minister included sitting MLAs Chinwang Konyak (CLP leader), Sentichuba, H Chuba, Tokheho Yepthomi, Kheto Kinimi, SI Jamir, Apok Jamir and Hewoto and former legislators K Therie and Yankithung
The senior Congress leader also made a passing reference to the State’s lone Lok Sabha MP, Wangyuh Konyak, saying that apart from his role during the trust vote on Indo-US nuclear deal where he voted in favour of the UPA Government, there was no occasion in which Wangyuh approached Aiyar with regard to development projects for Nagaland.
On the other hand, the DoNER Minister clarified that it was his duty as a central minister to cooperate with state governments, irrespective of whether they were Congress government or not. “I have done my job…I’ve one ear for Rio, one for Pusa (NPCC president). However, Rio does all the talking, Pusa none,” he added. However, Aiyar said the MLAs were not to be blamed entirely. “It is in every block, village, town and district that something is going wrong. It is the people to inform Congress MLAs,” he said.
In a thinly-veiled statement in front of hundreds of party workers, Aiyar suggested that the opposition Congress in the state had failed to live up to the stature of an active and vibrant opposition by being silent on the activities of the state government. The minister was addressing the first Nagaland state convention of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (RGPRS) here at Dimapur Town Hall right after his arrival in Dimapur, Saturday afternoon.
Stating that the Centre had been generous enough to the small state (Nagaland), the DoNER minister who is also the chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC) disclosed that NEC had sanctioned nearly 650 crore while DoNER ministry approved ninety nine projects in Nagaland over the last ten years.
He said the Congress in Nagaland has to pose three questions to the government - How the money had been used, How much money was given to the underground groups and how much was spend on development. And, he advised to ask, why the sanctioned money had not been fully spent. The Congress has also to question whether there was any nexus between the DAN government and the “extremists.”
“The number of substantiated complaints against Rio’s government by the State Congress is very few. There are many instances of the State government discriminating Congress party in Nagaland, but not enough instance of Congress bringing the matter to me,” Aiyar said. Among the State Congress leaders who shared the dais with the Union Minister included sitting MLAs Chinwang Konyak (CLP leader), Sentichuba, H Chuba, Tokheho Yepthomi, Kheto Kinimi, SI Jamir, Apok Jamir and Hewoto and former legislators K Therie and Yankithung
The senior Congress leader also made a passing reference to the State’s lone Lok Sabha MP, Wangyuh Konyak, saying that apart from his role during the trust vote on Indo-US nuclear deal where he voted in favour of the UPA Government, there was no occasion in which Wangyuh approached Aiyar with regard to development projects for Nagaland.
On the other hand, the DoNER Minister clarified that it was his duty as a central minister to cooperate with state governments, irrespective of whether they were Congress government or not. “I have done my job…I’ve one ear for Rio, one for Pusa (NPCC president). However, Rio does all the talking, Pusa none,” he added. However, Aiyar said the MLAs were not to be blamed entirely. “It is in every block, village, town and district that something is going wrong. It is the people to inform Congress MLAs,” he said.
Turning attention to the coming general election, Aiyar said he was optimistic of an all-Congress government or, at the least, a Congress-led coalition government at the Centre.
Maintaining that it was very crucial that the Congress should bag the State’s lone Lok Sabha, Aiyar said, “if we are going to block Rio’s dominance in the next four years, the only way is to have a Congress MP from Nagaland.” He further said that after SC Jamir, a new generation leadership was needed to lead Congress in the State.
With the general election less than three months away, the launching of RGPRS is seen as an attempt of the State Congress to firm up its organisation at the grassroots level.
