NPF counters claim party was rejected by people

Dimapur, Oct. 16 (EMN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Tuesday countered the general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in- charge of North East, Ram Madhav, who reportedly said that the regional party was ‘rejected by the people’ during the BJP’s executive meeting held on Oct. 9 at Mokokchung. “As a matter of fact, to say that NPF has been rejected by the people is based on sheer imagination and does not reflect the ground reality,” the NPF press bureau stated in a press statement. It said that the NPF, as the oldest political party in the northeast India, undoubtedly enjoys the love and support of the citizens of Nagaland. The party stated that it has emerged as the single largest party in the state with 26 MLAs in the house of 60 in the last 2018 Assembly election in Nagaland State. “The NPF party alone secured 38.8 % of the total vote share NPF alliance partners secured more than 6%. As such, the total percentage of vote share secured by NPF and its alliance was 44.7% in the last 2018 Assembly election. Again in the Lok Sabha By-election held in the month of May 2018, the NPF secured 41.43% of the total vote share,” the NPF stated. Therefore, the NPF asserted that the notion of the NPF being rejected by the people is based on sheer imagination and does not reflect the ground reality. “...the question of NPF being rejected by the people does not arise as stated by Ram Madhav, National Gen. Secy. of BJP in- charge of North East in the BJP state executive meeting at Mokokchung on Oct. 9,” the release stated while adding that the BJP official might have been ‘evidently’ wrongly briefed by some of his co-workers or by some other political opponents of NPF who are desperately trying hard to discredit NPF in any given opportunity. The party stated that it has survived for the past 55 years despite of severe criticism from some individuals and political adversaries. It has stood the test of time despite all odds. “It has already gained the status of being the 2nd oldest regional political party in India. This is also one of the main reasons why the national political parties as well as the newly floated political parties feel insecure to encounter the NPF,” the party stated. Saying that it has been the endeavour of the NPF to resolve the protracted Naga political issue in a peaceful manner, the party stated that it has expanded its jurisdiction to other parts of north-eastern Indian. It said that the electorates of Manipur, in response and appreciation of the NPF’s efforts to find a peaceful settlement of all political conflicts, have elected ‘consecutively’ four NPF MLAs in Manipur State Legislative Assembly. It said that it is a record that the BJP- led Government which is presently running the government in Manipur could be formed just because of the unconditional support extended by 4 NPF MLAs. “Although BJP has sever (ed) ties with NPF in Nagaland State, the NPF as a matured political party cannot change its stand overnight and therefore it continues to support the BJP government in Manipur. The BJP high command knows better how difficult it would be for the BJP to run the Government in Manipur without NPF,” the party stated.