Mokokchung, August 5 (MTNews): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K. Therie have on Friday stated that he has “no difficulty in tendering apology to NPF turncoats, those that are clean before God.” He was responding to a demand made by the 21 NPF MLAs who had recently joined the NDPP that Therie should apologize publicly for his allegation that they were given Rs. 2.50 crores each. Therie on Friday said, “Because of blank cheque system, I do not have evidence. However, some are complaining that only 3 crs was given while 5 crs was given to others.”
K Therie had, on July 21, claimed that the NPF MLAs who had recently merged with NDPP were given Rs. 2.50 crores each as election fund after deducting 70% from MGNREGA fund. Following this, the 21 erstwhile NPF legislators, who had merged with NDPP, on July 28 demanded the NPCC president, K Therie, to furnish the names of the MLAs who have received Rs. 2.50 crore from the deducted 70% of MGNREGA fund and who delivered the payments to the MLAs with specific date and place.
The 21 MLAs had demanded that Therie respond with proof within seven days, failing which he should apologize publicly for making such false accusations. In the event of Therie’s failure to comply, the 21 MLAs had threatened to file defamation case in the court of law.
Therie said on Friday that misuse of MGNREGA funds is not new. “It is not only material component that is misused but even the wages component is misused. After induction, MGNREGA beneficiaries have never received full 100 days wages nor the material components,” Therie added.
Further, Therie also said that there is also wrong interpretation of convergence fund. “The meaning of convergence as understood in the training when the scheme was launched by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister, was that other department’s development funds can be converted into MGNREGA fund and number of days’ wages can be increased to more than 100 days,” Therie explained. He also added that, however, in Nagaland, “wages funds are converted into special development activities and MLAs distributing these funds.”
Therie went on to say that in 2020-2021, Rs. 483.82 lakhs MGNREGA funds were released to the state, and were drawn. “I am told some villages received just 7 days’ wages during 2021-2022. 7 days’ wage would be hardly account for Rs. 60 crores. The remaining is siphoned off,” he added.
Therie also said that only those with unknown sources of income are thriving in the state, which he said were all money laundering cases. “Corruption is rampant for the last 20 years. I am praying for Nagaland to remain true Christians,” he said.