EMN
DIMAPUR, JANUARY 13
THE NPF group led by G Kaito Aye has described as ‘most unfortunate, the statement of TR Zeliang, carried in the local dailies, accusing Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio and Rajya Sabha MP Khekiho Zhimomi of “summoning legislators to campaign and plant seed of dissent”.
It is totally unbecoming of Zeliang to blatantly accuse two of the most senior and prolific leaders of the State, respected and highly regarded both in the region as well as nationally, NPF Legislature Party spokesman Imkong L Imchen said in a release today.
Strongly refuting Zeliang’s statement, Imchen put on record that not once did the Lok Sabha MP summon any legislators individually or collectively to his residence to discuss such matters. The statement accusing Khekiho of “visiting homes of legislators with offers of lucrative portfolios to effect change of leadership” is also highly objectionable and absurd and without any factual basis, the NPF Legislature Party said.
It challenged Zeliang to produce evidence failing which he will invite defamation suit against himself. The NPF Legislature Party also said it is in fact highly questionable of the intentions of Zeliang as the chief minister in completely ignoring and not consulting even once the two elected members of Parliament whom the people and the Assembly had reposed their faith and confidence to represent the people of Nagaland in the Parliament while addressing important matters and issues relating to the State with the Central government in the last seven months.
The release also termed Zeliang’s statement that “the two MPs restarted the dissident campaign instead of attending Parliament” as completely false and misleading. It was Rio who had strongly condemned and objected the mistreatment of Dimapur-bound passengers by the officials of Air India in Kolkata in the recently concluded winter session of Parliament and also prominently highlighted the need to bring early resolution of the decades-old Indo-Naga political problem during Zero Hour of the recent winter session of Parliament, it said. How can Zeliang blatantly lie when the attendance of the MPs is duly recorded in the Parliament, the NPF Legislature Party questioned.
It further demanded an explanation from Zeliang for his statement that “Rio Villa has been guarded by Rio’s security personnel along with underground cadres of a particular faction”, stating that he must respond with proof and evidence of this serious allegation and reveal the name of the “particular faction” to whom these cadres belong.
The NPF Legislature Party cautioned Zeliang from making such false allegations without proper proof or evidence as this may even affect the ongoing Naga political issue, an issue which is the first and foremost concern of the NPF Legislature Party.
All members of the NPF Legislature Party currently camping at Sovima also put on record once again that it was a unanimous and collective decision to stay together as a group and that no member has been confined forcefully. They also condemned Zeliang’s statement that “whoever went to meet them (MPs) were kept in Rio’s villas at Sovima under wrongful confinement”. Further, they requested Zeliang and Dr. Shurhozelie to release all the MLAs kept in forceful confinement in the De Oriental Dream in Kohima.
Describing as ‘correct’ Zeliang’s statement that a motion of no confidence has not been moved against him, the NPF Legislature Party pointed out that it has been repeatedly saying that this current move by the NPF Legislature Party is only for the change of leadership and “is not” in any way a move to topple the government or to cause a split, merge or change parties.
Therefore, it said, it failed to understand as to why Zeliang continues to harp on the issue of a floor test unless he himself has some other ulterior motives behind such a move. As the Chief Minister of a state, albeit a minority group leader, he should not indulge in petty mudslinging and accept the fact that he has lost the majority support of both the NPF and the DAN Legislature Party and should gracefully step down instead of hopefully clinging on to power.
