Dimapur, Sep. 13 (EMN): Notwithstanding “some hiccups” in the Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF), the party is all ‘geared up’ for the 2018 general elections for Nagaland. This was stated to have been declared by former chief minister of Nagaland Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu at an NPF event in Mon.
The media cell of the central NPF issued a press release to the media on Wednesday offering updates.
“Besides some hiccups taking place in the NPF party with some dissident MLAs revolting against the party leadership, the Naga People’s Front is all geared up to bring out its 2018 General election manifestos soon,” NPF President Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu declared at a gathering of NPF workers at Mon’s council hall.
The party will very soon study how best to go about selecting its candidates and added the party has no time to argue with the dissident MLAs who have been either expelled or suspended from the party and that the party is preparing itself for the forthcoming election. He said the NPF will look and focus more on the young and capable leaders as party candidates and will also concentrate on capable women as its party’s candidates in the coming general elections.
Dr. Shurhozelie also reiterated that “the NPF party can never afford to include corrupted, habitual defectors and dishonest leaders to represent the party.”
Calling upon the party rank and file to stand firm on their principles and party’s ideologies, Dr. Shurhozelie urged upon the party workers “not to be carried away by the false propagandas as the truth will prevail.”
“We should not believe or listen to the rumours that are spread wilfully by the dissident group, but be prepared for the coming election”, he said.
He also informed the gathering that the centre “knowing fully well that the BJP can never grow in Nagaland, had made a secret agreement with TR Zeliang, Neiphiu Rio and Governor PB Acharya to dismiss his NPF government and installed a BJP-friendly government. But failure to merge the NPF government with BJP, the above leaders are all out to dismantle the NPF party through diabolical means.”
The NPF president recalled that in the past three years of the TR government, former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio did not give a single day’s rest to the NPF-led DAN government but now with the sole intention to damage the NPF party, he has joined TR Zeliang.
Dr Shurhozelie also recalled how TR government was ‘saved by the party for so many years and asked the people if Naga people accept such kind of shameful leaders to be their leaders,’ the NPF press release asserted.
On the prospects of the 37 dissident legislators against whom 22 have been expelled and 10 suspended, Dr Shurhozelie said they would have to find “a landing ground” if they want to contest the next elections and that they would have “no choice but to land anywhere where their collective leadership asks them to land” as the NPF will not issue them the party tickets.
Dr. Shurhozelie also termed the wrong leaders for spreading wrongful rumours and propagandas specially to the Eastern Naga people during the time of crisis just for their mere political power but “the eastern people are the best judge”.
The DAN Chairman and NPF legislature party leader, Khuzholuzo Nienu, MLA in his address expressed happiness with the “party workers for maintaining their principles and integrity towards the party but rued against the habitual defectors among the MLAs who were never loyal to the party to which the people gave them their mandate.”
The DAN Chairman ruled out that the MLAs can never snatch away the party from the party workers.
Reminding the gathering about the 2015 crisis where the rebel camp appointed him as their Chief Whip, he said that though “they commanded majority of the legislators as well as the party workers during that time at the rebel camp, everything failed since the constitution bound them.”
He said that the court will soon give its verdict regarding the chief whip issue but the party’s main concern now is to focus on the coming General election.
He asserted that the NPF will come out as the single largest party in the 2018 election and form the DAN government once again.
NPF Working President, Huskha Yepthomi called upon the gathering that “leaders of the party should be a leader of the party and not a leader for the MLAs.”
He also termed the dissident MLAs as having “sold the public mandate given to them to TR Zeliang” and said that they have no right to come back again to seek the people’s mandate in future.
Tohanba MLA in his short speech termed the Eastern Naga people were made scapegoat, as at wrong time a prestigious post was offered by the power-mongering leaders citing the example of Noke having been appointed by the dissident camp as NPF president in 2015, Chingwang Konyak as President of “Rio’s baby” DPP.
Another MLA from eastern Nagaland, P Longon lamented that whenever there is a crisis, false rumours were fed to the eastern Nagas to confuse them. However, Longon expressed the hope that lies can never conquer upon the truth and called upon the party workers to stand remain steadfast.
