Dimapur, July 31 (EMN): Reminiscent of the previous tussle in the NPF party for the party leadership and symbol that reached the doors of the ECI in 2015 in the aftermath of the unsuccessful attempt by Kaito and Noke to topple the then TR Zeliang government ,the present set of NPF Legislators that recently toppled the government under Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu has on Saturday demanded that he also step down from the post of the party president within fifteen days.
"We the undersigned NPF MLAs hereby resolve that Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu, is asked to step down as President of the Naga People's Front within fifteen days of this resolution" stated the meeting resolution of the NPF Legislature wing and appended by 36 legislators including the chief minister that was sent to the party president.
Earlier too, on July 19, the legislators under TR Zeliang had demanded the party president's immediate resignation.
The Legislators also stated that they were "concerned with the precarious condition of the NPF party in the hands of Dr.Shürhozelie Liezietsu, the President of NPF, who has driven a deep divide between the organizational wing and the legislative wing of the party for his selfish ends."
The legislators alleged that the president was functioning in an " autocratic style" by expelling and suspending MPs and MLAs indiscriminately and in bulk purely to "stifle the voice of the people" since it "solely resides in the elected members", without following any procedure of law and disregarding the "principles of natural justice."
In the tussle between the NPF organisational wing led by the party president and the legislators led by the chief minister, the party led by Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu have suspended 11 MLAs and expelled 21 MLAs including the chief minister so far.
The Legislators have also alleged that Liezietsu has arbitrarily edited the NPF party constitution without the consent of the General Convention and listed six such instances where there were omissions and commissions in the constitution.
"Taking note of the fraud Dr.Shürhozelie Liezietsu has committed in mutilating the Constitution of the NPF by adding words and additional sentences that have not been authorized to be inserted in the Constitution of the Party at any General Convention, which is the sole authority to amend the Constitution, in order to position himself in the party in an unquestionable and unbridled manner" alleged the legislators in their resolution.
The legislators alleged that the "undemocratic attitude" of the Liezietsu's was manifested when he refused to face the Assembly for the floor test and also refused to resign from the office of the chief minister and had to be dismissed by the Governor.
The NPF MLAs also stated that the continuance of Dr.Shürhozelie Liezietsu as the president of the party would be destructive and invite "dismemberment of the Party" endangering the prospects of the party especially in the current election year.
On account of the their move for the resignation of the party president the legislators therefore advised all the party rank and file not to follow the orders of the current president since he has "come under cloud and under the process of removal from the office of the president" with the support of the party workers representing 36 assembly constituencies out of 47.
After issuing demands for the resignation of Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu from the seat of NPF president, the 36 NPF legislators, who constitute the NPF Legislature Party, have on Monday selected former chief minister and current Lok Sabha MP, Neiphiu Rio as the party chief.
Rio was selected as the ‘interim president’ of the party during a meeting of the NPF Legislature Party held at the State Banquet Hall, Kohima on Monday. This was informed through a press release from the leader of the legislature party, and incumbent chief minister, TR Zeliang.
It informed that the 36 NPF legislators had attended the meeting in which Rio was a “special invitee”. According to Zeliang’s statement, the 36 legislators ‘unanimously selected’ Rio as the interim NPF president ‘empowered with all the functions and prerogatives of the president of the NPF under the constitution of the NPF, to take decisions in the overall interests of the Nagas with immediate effect’.
He has also been empowered to appoint divisional level office bearers and ‘take necessary steps for organising a general convention of the party at the earliest’.
The legislature party also appointed a search committee comprising Tokheho Yepthomi, Y Patton, Dr Nicky Kire, EE Pangteang and Imkong L Imchen to assist the interim president ‘put in place the state level organisational structure of the party to be approved at the (proposed) general convention’, it informed.
The 36 legislators also resolved that ‘all decisions’ taken after July 13, 2017 by the NPF party under the leadership of Liezietsu shall be rendered null and void. They also ‘resolved to appeal to all the rank and file of the NPF party to come and join the government and the majority’, it informed.
