EMN
Dimapur, December 14
8 Congress senior leaders who were expelled from the party by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) last month have said that NPCC did not like Congress’ self-destruction to be exposed. They also blamed the ‘Ad-hoc President’ and AICC General Secretary for split in the party.
“NPCC cannot stomach the truth that it is breeding self-destruction. And for exposing this bitter truth, 8 Congress senior leaders were expelled from the party and 4 AICC Members are recommended for similar expulsion.”
A joint statement issued by Nillo Rengma Ex-MLA, H. Chuba Chang Ex-MLA, Sulanthung Humtsoe Ex-MLA, Konngam Konyak Ex-MLA, S. Supongmeren Jamir Ex-MLA, Vaprumu Demo Ex-INC Candidate, Prasielie Pienyu Ex-INC Candidate, G.K. Rengma Ex-State Chief Organizer, Seva Dal said, “We have no regret on expulsion “for speaking the truth” but it is a pity that Congress Party, for which we had sacrificed everything, has been handed to K. Therie, who is popularly known for timely expulsion from party one after another and for whom, party is nothing but a stone stepping to his political ambition. And he will do again.”
“PCC Ad-hoc President is nurturing a theory and rumour that following the expulsion of senior leaders, the NPF dissidents will fall in beeline and beg him for Congress ticket for 2018 Assembly Election and then a cocktail Congress will come with a big boom. Good luck! Amusingly this is also what Narayanasamy, General Secretary AICC i/c of Nagaland wishes to believe and he and Ad-hoc President championed the members’ expulsion hoping the NPF dissidents will readily jump in and salvage the otherwise shrinking Congress Party. This, we refused to believe and we had reason to dispute. Only time will tell whether the NPF dissidents will likewise bow down before Therie or the latter will be dumped somewhere by his associates.”
The statement said, the trouble within the party started when AICC General Secretary directed the then CLP Leader on February 4 (just a day before Trust Vote) to support Rio.
“The directive was questioned because Rio is MP, not a CM Candidate and by this time BJP MLAs were still in Sovima Camp and they had stated that they would abstain from voting and also would not go where Congress goes. Then again on 6th April Jayakumar, Secretary AICC i/c of Nagaland questioned the PCC officials why the party had not supported Rio. Meantime Therie drafted the Common Minimum Program of Congress Party for the upcoming new government and it was tabled before PCC for deliberation. After induction of Congress MLAs in the new government, PCC Delegation went to Delhi and explained to the President and Vice President of AICC, the circumstances of Naga peace process and BJP’s initial standoff which prompted the party to support TR Govt. No adverse decision was pronounced then and an indication was clearly given that beyond suspension of the MLAs no further action would be initiated. But Ad-hoc President whipped up communalism issue, with the sole agenda to disqualify all Congress MLAs and expel all veterans and stalwarts at any cost.”
“Going by Ad-hoc President’s and AICC official’s logic, supporting dissident NPF+BJP for change of guard would be Secularism alright but being in TR’s Government with NPF+BJP is Communalism not alright. Indeed Communalism is a growing national concern and we are no less concerned about the evil but pending Naga political solution has become a matter of greater urgency to the restive Naga people. Communalism is not immediately relatable to the pending Naga political solution. But the problem is, Therie, as usual doesn’t see eye to eye with the Naga aspiration and he preferred to impress the high command by blowing communalism issue over and above Naga issue. That is exactly where we differed with his adamant mindset. Hence we leave to the Naga people to judge who is who and what is what.” More on page 5
On NPCC’s Roadmap, the statement said it predicted as ‘Roadmap to Congress destruction’ exactly pushed out all 8 Congress MLAs, expelled 8 senior leaders and 4 AICC members inline; dismissed 3 DCC President, many PCC Officials, PCC Cell & Committee members; dissolved 4 ACCC in Wokha, 2 in Dimapur, 2 in Phek, expelled a ACCC President etc etc. On the other side many party workers are resigning; ACCC and DCC are being dissolved on protest against Ad-hoc President’s reckless destruction of the party setup. He thinks he can still run the entire affairs of the party with a dozen or so members picked from his family & constituency. The additional forces he is expecting from NPF dissidents. He believes in zero, he wants to start from zero and zero it will be.”
“Losing the confidence and cooperation of 44 ACCCs and PCC members, Ad-hoc President finally sold out the inbuilt “identity, interest and autonomy of NPCC” (10 Point Modalities on joining then Congress(I) to the so-called high command just to protect his chair, thereby justifying all his arbitrary and vindictive actions as AICC directives of the General Secretary. When and where the AICC General Secretary is assigned, the party is split. Check Congress Party status in his assigned states- Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Manipur. In 2010 when he was assigned Nagaland, PCC Election was disrupted necessitating re-poll, underground elements were involved and Congress Bhavan was burned but no disciplinary action was initiated against those culprits because they had his solid blessing. Second time he is assigned Nagaland, in 2015 he brought back those members and then forced out all Congress MLAs for not supporting the dissident NPF+BJP and threw out all Congress diehards for spelling the truth on the untruth of the AICC official and Ad-hoc President.”
The statement felt,”considering Ad-hoc President’s and AICC General Secretary’s split-personalities and double-standards, Congress Party under the duo will ‘keep crawling on belly of falsehood”.