Dimapur: Nagaland’s Rising People’s Party (RPP) on Thursday suggested chief minister Neiphiu Rio-led government to take swift action Temjen Imna Along, the minister for Higher Education, who is embroiled in an alleged fraud case.
The case, filed by Mumbai-based Hazel Mercantile Limited, has prompted the Bombay High Court to direct the Special Task Force (STF) of Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to initiate a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter.
The minister referred to the allegations as a “normal business dispute” from before his time in office.
The minister’s comments have sparked outrage, with the RPP condemning his statement as an attempt to trivialise a serious fraud case.
“It’s most galling that the Minister has termed a very serious fraud case for which he may be jailed as “Normal business dispute”. Temjen Imna Along’s fraud case involving Rs. 125 crore has made national headlines, but his utterance has trivialised cheating and fraud which is condemnable. The stupendous silence of the State BJP in their refusal to bring their colleague to task shows their double standard as well,” the RPP said.
The RPP further reminded the BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a “Corruption-Free India,” asserting that the state BJP should have been the first to advise Chief Minister Rio to remove Along from his position.
In his defense, minister Temjen Imna Along had earlier maintained that the dispute predates his time in government. He said that the business dispute dated back to 2014-15 when he was involved with a partner company in Mumbai.
He had hoped that the appeals made in court will be heard, and the matter will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile, the RPP also said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties belonging to two Naga contractors involved in the construction of the new Kohima High Court complex, a move that has been widely welcomed in the state.
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“The ED is requested to carry this case involving 10 PWD Engineers and 6 contractors to its logical conclusion,” it said.
It urged the government to grant prosecution sanctions to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to allow them to proceed against the 10 implicated state officials. “Along with the 6 contractors, the 10 odd officers were implicated by the CBI but the refusal to give prosecution sanction by Rio’s government gives the impression that the politicians fear implication as well,” it said.
It further added that the long arm of the law cannot be evaded.
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