Ukhrul, April 23: The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has launched a scathing attack on the Minister for Higher Education, Imna Along, over the controversial regularisation of 147 Assistant Professors and Librarians. In a strongly worded statement, the party accused the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP)-led government of betrayal and demanded the immediate removal of Along from his post.
Recalling the Minister’s past declarations against “backdoor, window or ceiling” appointments, the RPP criticised what it described as hypocrisy and favoritism in the regularisation process. “The provocateur-in-chief Imna Along is the target of everyone’s ire, and rightly so,” the statement read. However, it added that the state Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, must also bear collective responsibility for the decision.
Describing the government’s move as “anti-student and anti-youth,” the RPP called it a prestige issue and warned that the failure to resolve it could have long-term consequences for future generations. The party reiterated its support for the demands raised by the Confederation of Technical and Academic Nagaland (CTAN) and the Nagaland Net Qualified Forum (NNQF), urging the state to act swiftly and fairly.
Further escalating the matter, the RPP highlighted a pending fraud case against Imna Along in the Bombay High Court, questioning his credibility to hold a portfolio as significant as Higher Education.
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The statement also criticised the government’s decision to form a committee to study the issue, calling it a “delay tactic” and “tone deaf” in the face of growing public frustration.
The party emphasised that the issue of contractual appointments goes beyond the education sector and could soon emerge in other departments. It demanded that the government officially declare all contractual appointments made after June 6, 2016, as illegal in accordance with the Office Memorandum issued on the same date.
In a final call to action, the RPP urged organisations like CTAN, NNQF, and the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) to push the government to requisition all such posts to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) or Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) for competitive recruitment.