At the same time, NPF Press Bureau retorts media reports that described Rio as party founding member
Dimapur, May 18 : The NPF Central Youth Wing has endorsed the ‘sagacious and bold action’ taken by NPF party president, Dr. Shurhozielie Liezietsu and suspending Neiphiu Rio, MP from the active and primary membership of the NPF party.
The Central Youth Wing stated that the party president has taken the timely and right decision at a time when NPF party is sailing through a rough weather due to unwarranted mess created by some ‘power-mongering’ party members.
The Central Youth Wing Media Cell in a press communiqué maintained that though Rio played a pivotal role to uplift the party at the earlier stage as a three-time Chief Minister of Nagaland, yet he became a ‘turn-coat’ and started initiating all sorts of ruckus within the party fold after he became an MP in order to foster his self-interest, and thereby tremendously endangered the party stability and credibility. “His suspension from the NPF party has become indispensable to salvage the party from his ulterior design.”
The Youth Wing appealed to all party workers not to misconstrue the ‘drastic’ action of the party president against its senior member, as it was executed in the larger interest of the NPF party. The NPF Central Youth Wing also appreciated the bold decision of the DAC members in steadfastly upholding the true principle of the party constitution and for recommending the suspension of Rio from the party without any biasness.
The Central Youth Wing also reiterated that it will not tolerate any anti-party activities even in the future by any of the party men or women, but stand firm to protect the party interest at any cost.
Meanwhile, a rejoinder by Press Bureau, Naga People’s Front has cited certain phrases used to describe the suspended Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio in a section of the local media.
“Rio himself had claimed in his reply to the show cause notices served to him earlier this year that he is a “founding member” of the Naga People’s Front, the oldest regional political party in the region, which is quite erroneous and misleading. A section of the local media too, had described him in the news reports this morning that he was a “founder-member of Naga People’s Front” which is equally erroneous.”
The NPF pointed out that in Nagaland, regional political party identity started with the Democratic Party of Nagaland in the late 1963 when the regional party was formed to contest the 1964 general elections in the State. “Rio, born on November 11, 1950, was not even of legal voting age and it would require a huge stretch of a futile imagination to even consider him as one of the founding members of the regional political party which came into being in 1963.”
The NPF said, over the decades, the nomenclature of the regional political party in Nagaland had been changed several times with the changing times and necessities, such as United Democratic Front, Naga National Democratic Party, Nagaland People’s Council, and in the latter part of 2002, when some disgruntled Congressmen including the present Lok Sabha MP and Kewekhape Therie, present Congress President in the State joined the NPC in October 2002, the nomenclature was again changed to Nagaland People’s Front. “In 2009, to enable the party to spread its jurisdiction and participation in other neighboring States, the name of the regional party was further changed to Naga People’s Front.”
“It was because of the patriotic spirit of the founders, and also because of their intense desire to maintain the true identity of the Naga people, that successive generations of Naga political leaders have nurtured, nourished and maintained the Naga identity over the decades against all odds.”
The NPF acknowledged that Rio was a three-time chief minister of Nagaland (2003, 2008 & 2013) till he decided to go to the Parliament not heeding the vehement protests and requests for him to continue as the chief minister.
“After becoming the MP, for reasons best known to him, he started to embark on a series of activities diametrically opposed to the aims and objectives of the party and the government.”
“A certain newspaper had even claimed that the “series of events is either a major rift between the former chief minister and the party president” and that a “changed stance of the party and the Government” might unfold in the next few days. This is to clarify that the NPF President Dr Shurhozelie has no personal grudge or enmity with the Lok Sabha MP and that the decision was taken collectively by the NPF party. This was also not a personal decision taken by the party President, or a hasty decision taken by a few on behalf of the party. Rather, this was a deliberated and considered decision taken after months of thorough deliberations by the party which directed the President to issue the suspension orders.”
Stating that there will not be any changed stance, as the news report put it, of the party and the NPF-led DAN government in any one of these days, the NPF asserted that the stand of the government will continue to remain the same: Stable government to provide good governance to the people of the State with the aim of facilitating an early, honourable solution acceptable to all sections of the society to the protracted Naga political problem.
NPF supporters condemn suspension of Rio
The NPF supporters of 11 Northern Angami II A/C have condemned the ‘dictatorial approach’ taken by the party president in suspending MP Neiphiu Rio, terming it as ‘flimsy without any justification’.
Citing reports in local papers, a joint statement by Rokuotuolie Mere, Kechalhoubei, Keduo Zumu, Lhousakuolie Metha and Thinuoneio Sote said, the ground for suspension was more on retrospective and suspension order did not in any way justify the action. “We outrightly condemned the unceremonious suspension of our leader who was the founder member of the NPF and had led the party to reach such heights unprecedented in its history.”
The statement said, “There is not an iota of doubt that the two show cause notices of 4th and 14th April were purely decoys to entrap but seeing the irrefutable reply from Neiphiu Rio on his stand point the DAC without any justification nor any rejoinder to his replies forwarded it to the President for his suspension and thereby the President approved and gave the suspension orders.”
“The President of NPF that harps on democracy of highest degree moulded by our traditional practices today had to take an arbitrary decision with make-believe formalities. It is one of the lowest ebbs that the party has reached and it gives us shivers to even think that if it is indeed sheer greed and power that has blinded one of the oldest members of the regional cock party. It is a shame and we also condemn that the show cause notice was first released to the media in direct contravention to the workings of the NPF party and we condemn the silence of the party President who decided to overlook.”
The NPF supporters appealed to all the right thinking Nagas to rise up and be vocal against ‘crooked injustice’ that is being committed for which all will be answerable to progeny. “Neiphiu Rio is a man of his words who took it all on himself to reach out to all the conflicting groups to bring peace that we all are enjoying today, who tried to resolve and pacify all opposing parties and continued these noble work in spite of so many unfounded blames that were heaped on him.”
The NPF supporters also considered it “an opportune moment to reaffirm again that in Neiphiu Rio we the people of 11 Northern Angami II A/C not only gave ourselves a visionary leader nor only to the Angamis and to Kohima district but we gave a leader for all the Nagas irrespective of boundaries and the people of Nagaland reciprocated by making him a leader in the country. Only to be backstabbed by his “friends” to ensure that his prospects are damaged not only in the state but in the centre as well. It is indeed the backstabbing of all the Naga people by a few vested interests with shallow opinions like there is no permanent friend or foe in politics.”
The NPF supporters said, for every political party and a politician that there is an undeniable guiding principle and also an ideology, which present NPF leaders seemed to have forgotten and started to have strange bedfellows. “We fear that it will have serious ramifications hampering all the notable works he is currently doing in the centre and in the parliament and it might also hamper his contributions in the ongoing peace talks.”