KOHIMA, MAY 23 : Against the backdrop of a spew of allegations and counter-allegations in the media following the suspension order of Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio from primary and active membership of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) May 17 last, the party president Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu today said the reason behind the suspension is not about a personal tussle of power between him and Rio as some people interpreted but purely in the interest of the party.
“I don’t have anything against Rio. I have no ill feelings against him. I am only protecting the (NPF) party,” Liezietsu said at a conference of the NPF 11 Northern Angami-II office bearers at the NPF Central Office headquarter in Kohima. 11 Northern Angami-II is the assembly constituency where Rio hails from.
The party president acknowledged that Rio has done many good things for the Naga people and the Naga people are grateful to him in many ways. He pointed out that the people wanted Rio to continue as Chief Minister even when he wanted to abdicate the seat which he held for three terms, to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha election. But after he (Rio) won the Lok Sabha election with one of the highest margins in India to become a Member of Parliament, Liezietsu said the MP was found to be indulging in anti-party activities in order to dislodge the party’s government so that he could regain the position of the Chief Minister. Accordingly, he said, two show cause notices were issued to Rio in April this year, and the latter in his reply mentioned that he is a ‘founding member’ of the NPF party. To this, the party president asserted that the ‘cock party’ was formed in 1963 though it has gone through different nomenclatures the party symbol and principles remained the same, whereas, Rio had joined the party only in 2002. “While we wanted to thank him for his contributions to the party and the Naga people, he has forgotten who built the house,” Liezietsu stated.
He maintained that when the NPF Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) pointed out his (Rio’s) anti-party activities, the MP failed to touch the issue in his reply to the show cause notice.
Dr. Liezietsu asserted that show cause notices were served for Rio to explain his position, and if his reply is not satisfactory then it is the discretion of the DAC to recommend further action.
“I have not done anything against anyone. I honestly feel that I have no disregard for him (Rio). I am only protecting the constitution of the party as that is my duty,” Liezietsu reiterated. He also said that Rio, though suspended, will remain MP but he has to follow the directives of the party in the floor of the House. Underscoring the need to work for the wider interest of the party and not squabble for individual gains or feuds, he called upon all the party workers not to be discouraged “with the talks that are going on”.
Meanwhile, when asked about the show cause notices reportedly served to other sitting MLAs, Liezietsu told reporters after the conference that altogether, three MLAs and one MP were issued show cause notices out of which, two have already been suspended (Imkong L Imchen and Rio). The other two are Namri Nchang and Dr. Neiphrezo Keditsu, he confirmed. The NPF president admitted that he did not want to go to ‘this extent’ but many attempts were made to create confusion in the minds of the party workers. He also alleged that even after the reconciliation that followed the party’s internal crisis of 2015, some dissidents had continued anti-party activities and have ‘crossed the limit’ when they wrote a letter to the NSCN (IM) leadership on February 24 last. “In that letter, they wrote that ‘archrivals’ Dr. Shürhozelie and Dr. SC Jamir have come together to strengthen the Naga National Council (NNC)….I am a layman whereas Jamir is a Governor of a state.
We are both Nagas but in politics, we are on different pages,” Liezietsu stated. While sharing his opinion that the NSCN (IM) leaders are not working for themselves but are taking into consideration all the Nagas, he expressed dismay that the intention of writing such a letter is to spoil the minds of the NSCN (IM) leaders. He also stated that sooner or later, they (dissidents) are going to form a new party.
On the 2018 elections, Liezietsu said the party is hopeful that something may come out of the ongoing process of settlement to Naga political issue before the next general election, if not, it will continue to give its best to strive to work for the Naga people.
Clarifying on an article written by some of Rio’s supporters that he had left the ‘cock party’ in 1999, the party president clarified that never did, and during that time, the Naga Hoho came out with a slogan ‘solution, not election’ and demanded to refrain 1998 election. Accordingly, the party, formerly called NPC, refrained from contesting in support of Indo Naga political issue and resulted in getting derecognized by the ECI. With the party and its symbol frozen, he said he contested the MP election in the following year with a new symbol, which later solidified a revival of the ‘cock party’.