KOHIMA: The Nagaland Congress has criticized the Naga People Front (NPF)-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Government for the Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) of ten Extra Assistant Commissioners post for the backward tribes, that it has done nothing but sharply divided the Naga society.
Nagaland Leader of Opposition and Congress Legislature Party Leader Tokheho Yepthomi in a press statement here on Monday said that the recruitment drive has done tremendous harm to the mutual trust and understanding existent among the Naga tribes and alleged that the move has sown the seed of suspicion that may germinate into further discord on various other issues with long term ramifications. Therefore, to restore the trust of the people, he said that the NPF government should come out with full transparency on the SRD issue.
Mr Yepthomi said that the NPF Government should honour its slogan of transparency and accountability in governance as promised to the people during election and publish the list of retired employees with effect from November 1, 2009 up to date and further demanded that the details of employment given to the backward tribes under 33 per cent reserved quota with effect from November 1, 2009 up to date should be made public.
According to the Congress leader, an approximate 6000 employees are estimated to have gone on retirement since November 1, 2009, which includes about 1000 Gazetted officers. So, rationally, if 33 per cent reservation was strictly adhered to, the 10 backward tribes are entitled about 1980 posts of both Gazetted and non-Gazetted, out of the total retired, he reasoned.
In this regard, the Congress leader accused the NPF Government of covertly trying to protect its own political appointees by constituting a review committee for backward reservation as a delay tactic since ad-hoc and contract employees appointed through backdoor will be legally and constitutionally protected on completion of three years continuous service.
Asking the Government to stop ‘shedding crocodile tears’ for backward tribes by offering them temporary sops, the statement said it is the responsibility of the Government to clear the air of misunderstanding that has resulted out of the SRD issue.
Meanwhile, the NSCN (Khaplang) group has slammed Cease Fire Supervisory Board (CFSB) Chairman Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) Eppen Jacob Kochekkan by questioning his ”activities” and ”dubious character” and appealed to the Government of India (GoI) to appoint a ”neutral man who can act judiciously, impartially and transparently” in the larger interest of both entities.(UNI)
In a statement here today the NSCN (K) through its Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP) alleged that soon after the June 7 last split of NSCN (K), Maj. Gen. Kochekkan changed his ”colour towards the newly floated NSCN (Khehoi)”.
It also alleged that the CFSB Chairman always represented Khole’s group rather then acting as the chairman in fairness. NSCN (K) said it has lost confidence in Kochekkan for alleged ”direct inclination” towards Khole’s group adding it also saw him as ”one of the Khole’s cadre and not as a chairman, CFSB”.
The MIP statement said it knew ”for almost four months” what was being hatched after Kochekkan’s visit to Khehoi camp on June 22
last where he ”surreptitiously’ met with Kitovi at Khelozhe village and claimed that even representatives of the GoI and the Nagaland Government attending the consecutive meetings of the CFSB could have observed his ”questionable character”. UNI