The Naga People’s Front (NPF) “strongly rejected Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio’s recent statement in the media that the opposition party voicing for the extra tax levied on petroleum products by his PDA Government (Nagaland government) as ‘barking’”. NPF said his comment “is nothing but a sheer sign of arrogance or maybe he is exhausted with other words to defend himself”.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the NPF expressed its surprise over the Chief Minister terming the opposition NPF as “simply barking” for raising the public concern issues. “How can a Chief Minister of a State behave like a dictator and tries to shut the mouth of the opposition party for opposing his government’s ‘cruel decision’ over the heavy tax levied on petroleum?,” the NPF asked. It alleged that when “his government failed to drain the public money by the name of ‘Covid-Cess’, again his government came up with a new formula to extract the suffering public money”.
According to the NPF, it is a known fact that every state is running through difficult times due to the pandemic. “But the government has no right to drain the public pocket at the cost of their livelihood,” it further said. “There are many ways and means where the government can regain its deficit but not through the right of the people to food and shelter,” the NPF added.
The NPF then said the Naga public cannot be carried away with his statement that the petroleum prices in Nagaland are lower than our other neighbouring states.
The NPF then reiterated its demand to immediately roll back the tax levied on petroleum and no amount of justification should be given by the government at the expenses of the public.
NNN