THE suspension of former Chief Minister and Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio from the NPF party has not come as a shock to the Kohima Division of the NPF since we have been aware of his anti-party activities ever since he demitted the Chief Minister’s office and went to the parliament. Rather, the suspension, though delayed, has come to us as a big relief and we thank the Disciplinary Action Committee and the party President for taking the much-awaited decision to get rid of the ring leaders who have been trying their utmost to de-stabilise the NPF-led DAN Government by Chief Minister TR Zeliang.
After the sacking of Kewekhape Therie from SC Jamir-headed Congress ministry in May 2002, Rio found himself on slippery grounds unsure of when the then Chief Minister SC Jamir would issue him his marching orders. Uncomfortable as a fly on the tip of cow’s flicking tail, Rio resigned from the Congress Ministry and party in the latter half of September, 2002 rather than being ignominiously sacked by his one-time mentor SC Jamir, against whom he had been scheming to replace very shortly.
After his exit from the Congress party, Rio had no option but to join the regional party, the Nagaland People’s Council (NPC), in October the same year rather than being lost in the political wilderness. Fully utilising the platform of the regional party, and with the help from the party rank and files who had remained loyal to the principles and ideologies of the regional party, Rio took his revenge on his one-time mentor and assumed power.
But everything did not go as planned after introduction of mandatory Downsizing of the Ministry and party legislators rebelled against Rio’s leadership. It was only through the unstinted support of the party President Dr Shurhozelie that his first tenure was salvaged after he was reduced to minority within the NPF legislature party. Had it not been for the party President Dr Shurhozelie, Neiphiu Rio would have been reduced to a mere footnote in the annals of Nagaland history since he would only be known as one who has been a Chief Minister for barely two years. He would then have entered political oblivion!
Rio knows this, and we are very sure that personally, he is ever indebted to the party president Dr Shurhozelie till date. Or will be indebted till his last breath.
Rio is also aware that his former party the Congress in 1998 went ahead with the general elections not heeding the call of the people to go for solution and not election and the other political parties which had accepted the call of the people had faced extreme repercussion such as freezing of the political symbols by the Election Commission of India. To salvage the integrity and symbol of the party symbol, the Cock/Rooster, Dr Shurhozelie had to contest the Lok Sabha election as an Independent against the then mighty Congress party which enjoyed the support of 59 out of 60 MLAs. It was this supreme sacrifice made by the party President which enabled the regional party to retain its symbol, and it is that same regional political party which catapulted Rio to political heights he never dreamt of! Unfortunately, it is that very same regional political party which Rio tried his best to dismantle in the last two years or so, and so his suspension orders have come as a great relief to those of us who have stood steadfast with the party in good as well as trying times.
It is however, disheartening to mention that few individuals have been writing in the local media where suspension of Rio has been wronged, and that it was Rio himself who was solely responsible for the achievements that the party could bring about in the last one decade or so. Such narcissism reeks of conceited, autocratic and pompous person which we are sure Rio himself is not, but the coterie of well- wishers, in their usual bird to earn his favour, are almost fighting each other to issue nonsensical press releases and write ups in his favour! They have not stopped there and have even gone to the extent of showing the reading mass their crass ignorance as to ask what the party President had done for the district of Kohima, leave alone Nagaland!
We are embarrassed that the questioned was asked by none other than someone from our district, and we the Kohima Division of the NPF, on their behalf, request the discerning mass to forgive their ignorance, their imbecility and their feeble-mildness.
Sd/- Sd/-
ALO YAKHRO GONEIU SIRIE
PRESS SECRETARY PRESIDENT
NPF KOHIMA NPF KOHIMA
DIVISION DIVISION
