Twelve years after Congress General Secretary (Communications), Jairam Ramesh, had presented the ‘Nirmal Gram Puraskar’ to Temsumoa Imsong, Village Council Chairman of Chuchuyimpang village, the two met again on Wednesday when Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra stopped at the village for lunch break.
The award for sanitation under the ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’ was presented when Ramesh was the Union Sanitation Minister. He mentioned that the scheme was “repackaged” and renamed ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ in 2014.
On February 24th 2012, Temsumoa Imsong, Chairman of the Village council of Chuchuyimpang had received the Nirmal Gram Puraskar, at the Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi from me. This was before the Prime Minister hijacked the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan and made it Swachh Bharat Mission. Nice to… pic.twitter.com/uLimYwcm88
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 17, 2024
Temsumoa Imsong, addressing the media alongside Jairam Ramesh, emphasized the village’s history as a hub of warriors as over two thousand individuals from Chuchuyimpang have served in national security forces.
Imsong recalled that in 1999, Kargil War Martyr Imliakum Ao received the Mahavir Chakra under Congress rule but expressed sadness that the current government has not recognized Ao’s sacrifice. The Village Council humbly requested a memorial for Imliakum Ao in Mokokchung and urged the Congress party to honor Chuchuyimpang’s contributions when back in power.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also remarked that, “As bad as the condition of roads and state highways in Nagaland is, the scenery here is equally beautiful.” Pointing out that there are only big stones and potholes in the name of roads and highways, Ramesh commented, “This is the evolution of ‘double engine government’.”
