Kohima: Nagaland Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has informed that legal action has been initiated against those responsible for the reckless dissemination of fake news, which claimed that Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was recently questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with regard to the ‘non-existent high court building at Kohima’.
The CMO’s media cell rubbished a news article by journalist Amit Mukherjee from the New Indian Express for publishing the fake news on Thursday, which alleged that the ED had questioned Rio for several hours at a military facility at Rangapahar in Dimapur last month.
“In this regard, it is made explicitly clear that the Chief Minister of Nagaland was never called by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with any matter connected with the high court,” the CMO said.
The false and baseless allegations that were levelled without verification, it said, have primarily caused loss and injury to the reputation of the Chief Minister.
So in accordance with the law, action has been initiated against those responsible for the reckless dissemination of the false news report. Further, the department concerned will clarify the other aspects of the news item, it added.
The clarification from the CMO comes after the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) refuted the news.
Meanwhile, the Rising People’s Party (RPP) said the Chief Minister is now a ‘prisoner of BJP’ and it will not be a surprise if the ED interrogates him for hours. The party said that the interrogation is not the last and more grilling is expected in the days to come.
“Despite the NDPP’s table-thumbing and protests that the ED grilling the CM is fake news, there is no smoke without fire,” the party said.
The party also said that as per the report, the army declined to comment, which signals that something is fishy. Another reason it added was that several months back, the ED first interrogated five close confidants of the CM under case number ECIR/GWZO/09/2020/488, one of whom was the Personal Assistant to the Chief Minister. “Thus, it is only natural that the Chief Minister himself should be interrogated,” the RPP said.
While the CM cannot escape the net cast by the ED, RPP said that Rio is now a ‘prisoner’ of the BJP and this will only have intense ramifications for the state.
“It has come to the notice of the RPP that the ED is also vigorously chasing 10 NDPP seating MLAs. Speculation is rife that the ED has built cases of corruption against the 10 MLAs. These 10 MLAs may strike a bargain with the BJP to join the party. Similarly, given the aggressive pursuance of the case by the ED, the chief minister joining the BJP cannot be ruled out either,” the party said.
It added that the NDPP is in a precarious position and there is absolutely nothing the party can do anything about it.
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