The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has reiterated that the claims of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogating Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in 2022 over money laundering was “fake news” and has already been clarified by the CMO and the Party.

Reacting to fresh accusations from the Rising People’s Party (RPP), the NDPP stated on X, “A responsible party or organisation should always fact-check, do proper research and gather accurate information before making public statements for the sake of sensationalism, which seems to be aimed at character assassination. In this case too, appropriate action will be initiated as per the laid down laws.”

Following the news that the ED Dimapur has provisionally attached immovable assets worth Rs 96 lakh under PMLA 2002, related to PWD contractors Avituo Sekhose and Mhalelie Rio, the RPP has alleged in a post on X that both are “casualties” of Rio who was “grilled” by the central agency in 2022.

The RPP also claimed that the contractors were “close henchmen” of CM Rio and speculated that the honeymoon between NDPP and the BJP “seems to be over.”

Earlier October 2022, the Chief Minister’s Office refuted the allegations as “false and baseless” and “without verification” aimed at tarnishing the image of the CM.