NDPP hits out at NPF, defends NLA speaker

Dimapur, Oct. 9 (EMN): The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has raised doubt over the legality of the nomenclature of ‘NPF legislature party’ while arguing that ‘there cannot be another party within a political party.’ This statement from the NDPP came in the backdrop of an allegation from the ‘NPF legislature party’ that the speaker was biased in his conduct during the recent assembly sessions. It stated NPF and its "legislature wing should be the last ones to have a right to question the actions of the present speaker of the NLA considering the fact of how obnoxiously they managed and manipulate (sic) the 12th House of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly by using the office of the then speaker of the House to their maximum advantage.” It stated that the NPF’s claim of having an opposition-less government was not an achievement in a democratic system of governance, but rather a murder of democracy. “No democratically elected government can function impartially and provide good governance to the people without an opposition to maintain checks and balances; and this is evident from the fact that the then Leader of the House, in collusion with the NPF party president, disallowed its members from raising questions of public importance on the floor of the house thus even implicating the offices of the speaker of the House.” NDPP alleged that one of the opposition legislators was made to raise a certain issue aimed at tarnishing the image of another member from the treasury bench during zero hour ‘on the instance of the Leader of the House’ so that the one ‘who was being attacked’ had to walk out of the well of the House in protest since the then speaker refused to allow him to speak in his own defence, it stated. “This was the system of “democracy” under the reign of the NPF who today are crying foul over a non issue!” On the allegation that the speaker did not allow enough time for question hour, the NDPP reminded the NPF about the ‘historic’ 15-minute session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2016 where no order of business was conducted ‘other than the speaker calling the House to order and then immediately adjourning the House sine die!’ “The NPF even after making such mockery of the highest decision making body i.e the Legislative Assembly, and without even once considering the financial implication to the state’s huge deficit incurred in even organising one session of the House, today has the audacity to attack the office of the Speaker!” It reminded the NPF that it was the prerogative of the office of the speaker to decide the order of business. “The NPF legislature party should perhaps look back first at how they themselves had made a mockery of the office of the speaker while they were at the helm of affairs just a few months back before pointing fingers,” it stated. “…the NDPP will not tolerate such disrespect to an office that is revered by everyone and particularly since the office of the speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly is also the face of the state. The NDPP therefore condemns the statement of the NPF legislature party and calls to all right-thinking citizens of the state to decry such callous and immature statements made by the legislators of Naga Peoples Front!. “..the sanctity of the House has not been respected and the NPF has resorted to unparliamentary conduct. It is unfortunate that a party like NPF has stooped so low in its desperate attempt to attack the PDA government. Perhaps it is bereft of issues and is resorting to personalised attacks and resorting to punch below the belt just to grab public attention.”