Therie’s statement on FNT not official party position — NPCC

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has clarified that the recent press statement issued by former NPCC president K Therie on Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) should not be taken as the official stance of the party.

“First of all, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee wants to make it clear that the said statement reflects his personal opinion and should in no way be construed as our official party position,” the NPCC said in a press release.

The state Congress party said that as far as its opinion is concerned, it strongly believe that the demand of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) is genuine and that the party is totally behind ENPO “in this just movement.”

“We stand behind them in the realisation that this demand of theirs is the result of a history of serious grievances, and is coming from a place of drastic trust deficit.

“The fact that successive governments during the last decade or so in the state as well as the Centre has managed to only widen the dissonance with their complete lack of empathy and abject political mediocrity can’t be emphasised enough,” the NPCC said.

While acknowledging the merits of the concerns raised by a section of the political class in the state regarding the manner and the style of the intervention adopted by the ENPO, the NPCC, at the same time, also recognised the lack of viable platforms available to the ENPO to escalate their demand within the ambit of conventional democratic norms.

It went to state that the state Congress had, time and again, underscored the perils of promoting a governance system built on the premises of a plan that doesn’t accord adequate space for the opposition bench.

This, NPCC believes, is one of the major reasons for the ENPO’s current choice of agitation.

“We believe that as far as this issue is concerned, all stakeholders have had their say and come up short, and that the only way forward to ensure a closure that keeps the dignity and aspirations of our sisters and brothers from ENPO areas should be one where their voice takes the sole and final call,” it said.

Further, the NPCC implored upon the Government of India to accept the demand put forth by ENPO and to refrain from taking any steps that is in contravention to spirit of the ENPO resolutions.

Also read: Past and present legislators should take the blame for ENPO issue, says NPF leader Nienu