Dimapur, Nov. 20 (EMN): A fresh war of words has erupted between the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) with the parties attacking each other for “negligence” during their respective tenures. The NPF has now claimed that the NDPP does not take positive criticism.
It all started after the NPF accused the PDA government of ‘negligence’ and being ‘rudderless and paralysed,’ a charge to which the NDPP hit back on Tuesday stating that the opposition party was “speaking about its own leadership” and that ‘Nagaland witnessed the worst law and order situation in its history’ during the NPF-led DAN government from 2014-2018.
In a rejoinder issued by its press bureau on Wednesday, the NPF stated that it expected a logistic approach to the loopholes pointed out by the opposition from the NDPP but “the ruling NDPP seems to upped (sic) and goes hammer and tongs after the opposition for every positive criticism that it cannot digest.” It also asked if the ruling party expects “the NPF party to stay mute spectator to the misdeeds of the government.”
The opposition claimed that when it sought clarification on “pertinent issues concerning the development of the state,” the NDPP chose to bring back the past instead of clarifying.
“The NDPP has rightly pointed out that the NPF led DAN-III government had faced a tumultuous and war-like situation in the state. But the NPF party has no regret because despite all these challenging situations and political crisis in the party, the highest infrastructural developments had taken place in the state which is visible on the ground,” the statement from the NPF read.
However, the party claimed, without naming anyone, that the crisis during its reign was “created by none other than by an unscrupulous leader who had the money to pay off huge mob from within the party.”
“No matter how bold the NDPP party is speaking today, their comfort zone of sitting in the government chair may (have been) short lived. And the NPF party has no regret despite all these challenging situations and political crisis created by their master, the NPF party is for the Naga people and will be for the Naga people,” it stated.
“Instead of governing the state, the only focus of the present PDA government led by NDPP is to break the lone opposition party workers and its legislature wing,” it added.
Youth wing hits out at its former leaders
The NPF’s youth wing also issued a press release to ‘dispel the misconception and false impression created by the resignation of its erstwhile office-bearers’ who have “purportedly joined the NDPP.”
“Their act can only be termed as a political adventure. While they were in office, they had no desire whatsoever to shoulder corporate responsibilities demanded by their designation and were solely occupied in furthering their personal interests. It may be mentioned that the disgruntled lot erstwhile office bearers were looking for an excuse to jump the fence and their defection was expected much earlier than this,” read the press release.
The youth wing claimed that the defectors were restless ever since the NPF failed to form the government in the state and that they might have defected “to avoid the ignominy of being dropped from the NPF youth wing.” It went on to state that the resignation of the former officer bearers has not affected the functional part of the wing.
