SHILLONG, MAR 15: Saying that the tribal are backward because the “right policies” were not implemented by the Congress governments in the centre, Nagaland chief minister and the Northeast Regional Political Front (NERPF) convener Neiphiu Rio attacked the Congress for what he called “erred policies” in its 50 years of rule.
Kicking off the campaign for the UDP Shillong Lok Sabha candidate Paul Lyngdoh on Saturday at the Krishi Kendra at Dhanketi, Rio told the general council meeting of the UDP that the Congress failed to realize the need to implement a policy which will “teach the people how to fish instead of waiting for someone to give fish all the time.
UDP president and leader of opposition Donkupar Roy, senior working president Bindo M. Lanong and the UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh also addressed the general council meeting.
The NERPF has representatives from all regional parties of the Northeast – Asom Gana Parishad (Assam), Nagaland People’s Front (Nagaland), UDP (Meghalaya) Hill State Democratic Party (Assam’s Karbi Anglong), Manipur People’s Party, Manipur State Congress Party and Manipur Democratic People’s Front from Manipur, People’s Party of Arunachal (Arunachal Pradesh), Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (Tripura) and Mizo National Front (Mizoram).
Unleashing a scathing attack on the Congress, Rio said that this political party ruled the country for more than 50 years and it is only now that it realized the need to provide education to the children and food to the people only now while referring to the right to education (RTE) act and food security act.
Rio told the UDP workers, “The Congress passed the food security bill after realizing that the people are angry and hungry. We welcome the food security bill because people are hungry, but I personally feel that the need of the hour is to have a job security bill instead of the food security act.”
Rio, however, was of the opinion that the proposed schemes (RTE and food security) may be good but only to fool the people. He instead said, ‘Teach the people how to fish should be the policy of the country.
Rio also felt that there should have been job security bill so that jobs would be created; the people would get the opportunity to work, earn and eat. He was of the opinion that the tribal are backward because right policies were not implemented and appealed to the people to fight together against any act of injustice to the region.
Rio informed that the NERPF has passed 17 resolutions concerning the regional problems and state specific that should be resolved by the union government.He said that the role of the NERPF is to play national politics for the interest of the Northeast.
Asking the people of Meghalaya to reject the Congress in the forthcoming elections, Rio said that the people should elect the UDP candidate for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat and the National People’s Party (NPP) candidate from Tura seat.
Rio urged the UDP workers, “Please remember that there is a change in Delhi and we should work overtime to ensure victory.” He said that the leaders of the NERPF should be united and should shout on top of their voice against all sorts of ill treatment meted out to the people of the region remind the party workers of the frequent attacks on people from the Northeast in the mainland who he said are treated as second class citizens.- By Our Reporter
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I just want to reveal something that had shocked me when i was told. The NPF in Nagaland is undoubtedly the most strong regional party of the state. I was appalled to learn that this party had won the election in all these years through money power. Meghalaya and Nagaland shared the same year of state assembly election. The Nagaland election results was a decisive win for the NPF and Meghalaya is Congress. I had a conversation with the original Nagas, I had told them that Meghalaya is still after money which is why it voted Congress to power tremendously. I told them that 80% of the voters in Meghalaya has still seen money as the power to vote. To the contrary i was more or less shocked when i was informed that in Nagaland only 5% will go to vote without money and each politician throw minimum 5 crore as an investment on the voters.
No wonder, i said that Kohima as a capital is lacking in everything a town needs to have.