Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 11
Spokesperson of NPF Legislature Party Imkong L Imchen said serious reconciliation within the party members is inevitable in order to maintain unity in the party and also to solve the present political muddle which has been going on since the dawn of 2015. Addressing a press conference this evening at Sovima village here, the NPF dissident group led by G. Kaito Aye, however, also expressed hope that good sense will prevail among the NPF party members of both sides keeping in mind the greater interest of the party at large.
The dissident group reiterated that the present political development is not a crisis but only a move to change the leadership within the party and not the government. “Our move is not to change the government but to change the leadership,” said Noke Wangnao, the senior most NPF member.
The dissident group, who has been camping at Sovima since the last couple of days, also slammed the TR Zeliang campers for coming up with the decision to form a new government by ‘inviting the Congress legislators’ to its fold.
“By calling for a special session of the Assembly, it is their attempt to garner a majority in the House with the support of the Congress. To invite Congress members is a move to change the government and the composition of the DAN government,” Imchen reiterated, adding that the ongoing political mess is only an internal affair of the NPF party members.
The dissident group while claiming that the present DAN-III government led by TR Zeliang has been reduced to minority also said they are not supposed to hold office anymore as they have lost the mandate of the majority legislators.
To this, the NPF Legislature party claimed that they have the support of 22 NPF MLAs (excluding the NLA Speaker) as against TR Zeliang’s group which has only 15 MLAs. The dissident group also has the support of four MLAs from DAN coalition partners.
Kaito’s group has also hit out at TR Zeliang’s group for creating a huge trust deficit between the DAN government and BJP party, both at the Centre and the State.
“The DAN government had pre-poll alliance with the NDA government at the Centre, but they (TR group) have destroyed that relationship. Their move has invited mistrust and misunderstanding with the Central government,” Imchen said.
Noke, Imchen on suspension
Senior most NPF legislator Noke Wangnao and NPF Legislature Party spokesperson Imkong L Imchen have lashed out at NPF president Shürhozelie Liezietsu for his ‘inefficiency’ in handling party affairs. The two NPF leaders, who held important portfolios in Rio’s ministry and are architects of the regional party, have questioned as to why the party president has issued their suspension orders without any rhyme or reason.
“The NPF party leadership led by Shürhozelie instead of pacifying the misunderstanding within the party, has started suspending party members randomly at his own will which on the other hand had created a bad precedent for the party,” Imchen said.
“As the president of the party, we expected Shürhozelie to emerge as a good communicator in times like this, but he has proved us wrong,” Imchen said adding that the NPF constitution was also set aside and ignored conveniently for reasons best known to the NPF party leadership.
Imchen was furious at Shürhozelie for his dictatorial type of leadership. “All the suspended NPF legislators are elected by the people, so who is he (Shürhozelie) to suspend us. We didn’t use his help in winning the election. Shame on him,” he said.
The spokesperson also questioned as to why the show cause notice was served to the dissident legislators after they were issued suspension orders.
“That means, his first order stands nullified by his second order,” he added.
Senior NPF leader Noke Wangnao, however, said, “Though he has suspended me without any rhyme or reason, on my part I am ready to forgive him for what he did to me. May God forgive him too and instead give him good wisdom to lead the party and the Nagas.”
Expressing his concern for the regional party for which he has been associated for more than 40 years, he also expressed hope that good sense will prevail among the party members.
The two leaders have also criticized the NPF central leadership for discriminating the NPF legislators who then supported Noke Wangnao for chief ministership after former CM Neiphiu Rio was elected to the Lok Sabha.
“In order to maintain unity and integrity of the party, Noke magnanimously withdrew from the contest of CM. Though the drama was over by then, the legislators who supported him for CM, were left out to face discrimination till today,” Imchen said adding that the NPF party president and the incumbent Chief Minister TR Zeliang should hold responsibility for what followed.
“Fulfilling the wish of one section of the party will not heal the interest of the party in the near future. But this is what has been going on,” he added.
