Dimapur, March 30 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has expressed confidence that the BJP-led NDA government will retain power under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and urged the people to vote for the PDA consensus candidate and sitting Lok Sabha MP, Tokheho Yepthomi.
A press release from the NDPP stated that the chief minister shared the message while addressing public rallies at Noklak and Thonoknyu on Saturday. Rio said that since Nagaland has just one seat in the Lok Sabha, the lone member represents the entire people of the state.
“As such, it is the people who should decide whether they want to elect an MP who can convey the voice of the people in the Lok Sabha in line with the government’s ideologies and objectives in coordination with the state government; or whether they want an MP from the opposition who will not coordinate with the state government, and instead sit in the opposition benches in Parliament,” it quoted the chief minister as saying.
Rio was confident that the public knows better as to which option is more pragmatic and workable for the people of the state.
The chief minister said that Nagaland is a small state dependent on the Centre and it will only be in the fitness of things if the state government and the central government are in an alliance. “The chief minister stated that today, people want peace and development and such an atmosphere would be all the easier if the people elect the PDA candidate so as to be in the NDA in Delhi. It is to this effect that alliance was maintained with the BJP since 2003 till date. The chief minister was optimistic and stated that even opinion polls were showing favourable outcome for the NDA at the Centre,” the statement read.
Rio expressed appreciation and gratitude to the BJP national leadership for reposing their faith in his leadership and entering into a pre-poll alliance with the NDPP. He explained that the BJP snapped ties with the NPF as the BJP had lost faith in the leadership of former chief minister TR Zeliang and the NPF party.
Rio further informed that the state unit of the BJP had issued a press statement in the local papers stating that it had entered into a pre-poll alliance with the NDPP and would continue to uphold the spirit and unity of the alliance. “This was to counter the NPF’s campaign of lies and deceit and attempts to woo the BJP with propositions of merger and taking over the government.”
Giving a brief background on how he had revived the erstwhile NPC in the form of the NPF, Rio reminded the gatherings that the NPF under his leadership had faced three consecutive general assembly elections and won every time.
The chief minister stated that after he went to Delhi as MP Lok Sabha, the NPF indulged in intra-party squabbles and eventually sidelined him, besides fighting amongst themselves. He attributed this to the NPF’s poor leadership and pointed out that the in-fighting which is continuing till today has only brought defeat upon their own selves.
Rio stated that the NPF leadership was in the habit of misleading people through lies, and cited numerous instances starting from TR Zeliang’s false claims of being a graduate to the claims that the NDPP will be derecognised by the Election Commission of India and all NDPP MLAs disqualified after which NPF will form the government.
According to him, the NPF’s failure to set up a candidate to the Lok Sabha and support the Congress candidate is a mockery since NPF has 26 MLAs in the House while the Congress does not have a single MLA and lost in the previous three general elections. This had demoralised the NPF MLAs and party workers and severe in-fighting had cropped within their ranks, he said.
Rio also said that the two NPP MLAs, Imnatiba and L Khumo had also cautioned the NPP not to set up candidates as it will be against the spirit of the PDA which had set up a consensus candidates. “The two NPP MLAs had made their stand clear on the party platform that if the NPP sets up candidates then they, the two elected members, will have no choice but to take counter-measures in order to maintain the spirit and preserve the unity of the alliance.”
In Thonoknyu, Rio called upon the supporters of L Khumo (who was elected on NPP ticket and recently merged with the NDPP) and the NDPP supporters led by 57-Thonoknyu ex-candidate YP Chillo to join hands and work together for the welfare of the people.
In both Noklak and Thonoknyu, Rio pointed out that the only opposition party in the Assembly, the NPF now has no candidate to the Lok Sabha and 26-Aonglenden and called upon the people to judge for themselves whether it is worth supporting such a party.
Such is the state of the NPF party that seven of its legislators have rebelled against the party leadership and openly declared to support the PDA in the ensuing elections, he pointed out.
Rio asserted that he was eager to develop every nook and corner of Nagaland including Noklak and Thonoknyu. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, PDA candidate Tokheho Yepthomi and Advisor Haying; while Advisor L Khumo and a large number of party leaders and workers attended the rallies.
