Congress comm. washes hands off party workers’ protest

EMN
Dimapur, September 27

The Kohima District Congress Committee (KDCC) has issued a statement on Sunday stating that the committee did not ‘authorize’ any of the party members to “come and disrupt the meeting proceedings” of officials of the Pradesh, district, and assembly constituency Congress committees that met September 24.
On that day, dissidents stormed into the well of the conference hall at Congress Bhawan in Kohima protest against alleged high-handedness of the party’s high command. The Congress in Nagaland had been fractured for over a decade.A section of Congress workers, led by a few former MLAs loyal to eight suspended MLAs, demanded immediate withdrawal of disqualification petitions filed against them by the Congress high command.
Another group of Congress workers also demanded revocation of suspended presidents of Assembly Constituency Congress Committee (ACCC) and the District Congress Committee (DCC) by PCC president K. Therie.
After a short speech delivered by AICC secretary in-charge of Nagaland, Jayakumar, urging party workers to remain calm when the party is “at a crossroads”, the dissidents stalled the proceedings of the meeting shouting slogans and holding placards and banners demanding withdrawal of the disqualification petitions of the MLAs and revocation of suspensions of presidents of the DCC and the ACCC.
Despite requests to remain calm and listen to the clarification by general secretary AICC in-charge of Northeast, V. Narayanswamy, the agitators continued to disrupt the meeting.
The two AICC leaders were there to release the party’s booklet ‘Roadmap.’ They were also not allowed to release it by the dissidents alleging that the booklet was not in the interest of the party but only the NPCC’s.
The press release from the KDCC stated: ‘The Kohima District Congress Committee would like to clarify that, the KDCC has not authorized any of the party member/s to come and disrupt the meeting proceedings of delegates’ meeting of PCC members, DCC presidents and ACCC presidents on 24th September, 2015.’
“The KDCC volunteers were entrusted for meeting hall decoration and sitting arrangements, apart from that, the KDCC did not hold the view that, the party leaders would bring people and occupy the seats reserved for the official delegates and refusing to vacate the seats even if they were requested to do so before the meeting,” the press release stated.
While expressing regrets at the “the unfortunate incident” that took place in the Congress Bhavan, the KDCC remind its members that ‘the Indian National Congress Party is the oldest political party in the country and it could remain as a political party till today by maintaining discipline in the party.’
The KDCC reiterated that it would work under the leadership of K Therie, president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, and to uphold the policies and principles of the party.
The note was appended by Kevi Vizo, president of Kohima District Congress Committee.