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NPF leaders seen here during their sit-in protest near the Civil Secretariat at Kohima town on Monday. (EM Images)[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 23 (EMN): Defying the district administration’s refusal to grant permission to holding an indefinite ‘peaceful dharna’ by the side of the Civil Secretariat gate in Kohima, the youth wing of the Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu-led Naga People’s Front (NPF) launched its sit-in protest at said site on Monday morning, against the Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly Dr. Imtiwapang Aier’s ‘inaction’ over several political issues.
NPF president Liezietsu and secretary general & MP Rajya Sabha KG Kenye, along with several party MLAs and senior party functionaries joined the protesting youth, daring the administration to arrest them for holding a peaceful and democratic agitation seeking early resolution to what it considered as gross violations of the Constitution of India.
The issues at hand are the cases of the disqualification petitions filed against 36 NPF legislators who defied the whip issued by the Chief Whip of the party Kiyanilie Peseyie on July 21 last; recognition of Kuzholuzo Nienu as the leader of the NPF Legislature Party in the Assembly; and recognition of Yitachu as the new Chief Whip of the NPF party, which was necessitated after the demise of Peseyie on Sep. 27 last.
“It is not a warning but we want to make it clear that we don’t want anybody to threaten us, we don’t want anybody to stand on our way while we are fighting for the right of the Naga people. We will continue, and if they do not want us to continue this, let them come and arrest us. Let them arrest me first, I am prepared,” Liezietsu said at the protest site.
He questioned the letter issued to him by the Deputy Commissioner Kohima conveying the decision of the government not to allow the dharna, citing the reason to be ‘in the interest of public peace and tranquillity’ when the party had proposed for a ‘peaceful indefinite bandh, unless otherwise provoked’.
Liezietsu asserted that the protest will continue indefinitely until justice was delivered and the protest will be peaceful, but warned that “if anyone provokes, then the party will also give a befitting reply”. He also said the protest was a movement to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution of India.
Expressing doubt whether the central government was aware of the entire situation happening in Nagaland including the installation of unconstitutional government, he alleged that few reckless and ambitious leaders may have misinterpreted the whole situation to the central government. He maintained that he had faith in the central government that it would not just blindly believe and continue to support illegal matters.
However, he said if the central government has the knowledge and is sitting over the issue then it must be giving the Nagas a homework or an acid test to think and plan seriously for the future of the state and its people.
MLA Kuzholuzo Nienu did not mince words to declare the government of being too shallow to grant permission to the NPF youth wing to hold its sit-in protest at a site where many such protests have taken place in the past. He lashed out at the present government of being unconstitutionally appointed and that, anyone who goes against the law are scared of the long arms of law.
Pointing out that the protest was a result of the speaker’s inaction, Nienu said that the NLA Speaker must wake up and start performing his duties. The three pending issues, he said, were kept in ‘cold storage’ for the past few months by the speaker.
He asserted that the speaker was appointed to his position with the mandate of the party and its legislators but his actions including disregard to the party workers to even restrict them from entering his office when they tried to submit a memorandum, was unbecoming. Moreover, he said the reply to the memorandum served by NPF youth wing came from Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Nienu stated that the issues raised to the NLA speaker appear to have gone to the CMO as the latter is issuing justifications in the media. Maintaining that the CMO and NLA are two different entities, he stated that the speaker’s inaction only shows his incapability in the functioning of his office, or that the chief minister in an act of dictatorship, has taken over the office of the speaker.
He warned that if this continues, the protest will be intensified and the party will have to go to the extent of demanding for removal of the speaker.
On the same issues that are currently pending in the court, Nienu alleged the rival party’s strategy was to delay the proceedings but stating that the court could not prolong a matter which is of urgency, he appealed to the court to deliver justice at the earliest.
MLA Yitachu said it is the duty and responsibility of every authority in the government to follow the rule of law but this factor is absent with the present government as it was appointed unconstitutionally. “And to save this unconstitutional government, everything is being done illegally for more than three months now,” he said while alleging that the ‘unconstitutional government’ was giving justifications only in the newspapers.
“Our demand is- stop justifying and apply the rule of law.... We are doing this (protest) today not just for the NPF but for the Naga people,” he said.
Stating that NPF has always been a party that stood for the rights and privileges of the Naga people, he remarked that it will not ‘silently allow the unconstitutional government fool the citizens and watch them destroy the society’.
Yitachu also said that the expensive general convention of Neiphiu Rio and TR Zeliang led NPF group held in Dimapur was not acknowledged by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the latter had directed the NPF party under Dr. Liezietsu as president to conduct a general election wherein only active members of the party can vote.
He asserted that the party will definitely give a conclusion to the prevailing issues and also deliver ‘white paper’ to the citizens of the state.