EMN
Dimapur, April 8
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has decried what it says is the “repeated false allegations and lies” of the Indian National Congress party, as the two go head to head for the Lok Sabha elections on April 9.
The media cell of the NPF issued a rejoinder on April 8 denouncing the “lies” of the Congress, as well as ridiculing a report in the national newspaper that a leader of the NSCN (IM) would be contesting the chief minister’s seat if Neiphiu Rio leaves for Delhi.
Denying that the NPF had ‘promised to bring political solution in three months’, the regional party’s rejoinder called ‘unfortunate’ Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Kohima addressing the issue ‘in the manner of a joke’.
“The DAN has followed a policy of equi-closeness because the Naga groups are not outlawed or banned. In this context and in view of the fact that they too are our own Naga brothers and sisters, the DAN has maintained equi-closeness in our role as active facilitators of the peace process,” the NPF stated. The party went so far as to claim “who can deny that under the DAN Government, Nagaland has achieved relative peace and there is much better tranquility when compared to the times of Congress government”.Who can also deny that under the Chief Ministership of Neiphiu Rio and the DAN Government, Nagaland has witnessed significant progress, the NPF claimed.
On the financial position of the Nagaland as the Congress “talked about”, the regional party said the opposition was “perhaps unaware of the fact that in 11 years of DAN Government, we have not failed to pay the salaries of the government employees for even a single month”. In Congress-ruled neighboring states salaries of government employees are not paid for more than a year, the party said.
“This is the treatment the Congress government is giving to the Naga people in the election year and to add salt to injury Rahul Gandhi makes a tall promise of solving Naga political problem despite failing to do so after 10 years of Congress rule,” the NPF stated.
‘Underground leader for CM’
In another matter, the NPF has taken strong exception to what the party said was a news report in the Hindustan Times on April 8 under the heading “Neiphiu Rio eyes Delhi berth to push NSCN deal”.
“The news article claims that NSCN-IM leader Isak Chishi will contest from the assembly seat vacated by Rio to fill the void created by Rio. Any normal person who is sane will clearly understand that such information is ridiculous, absurd and just not possible. The journalist has not quoted anybody nor given any source. The NPF condemns this news item and rejects its contents,” the party said in a separate press release received here Tuesday.
“It is so bizarre that the only conclusion one can make is that the news report was written with a hidden agenda and the journalist is either being used by elements that are against the Naga people and against the prevalence of peace and against achievement of political solution,” the NPF stated.
The local party also expressed ‘surprise” that a renowned and respected institution such as the Hindustan Times could publish such a “bizarre news item on a subject that is highly sensitive and has national importance”.
