Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 21 (EMN): Secretary general of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), Achumbemo Kikon on Wednesday said that the NPF legislators were right in deciding to withdraw from the Joint Legislators’ Forum (JLF) on Naga political issue.
Interacting with journalists on the sideline of a programme held at its party headquarters office in Kohima, Kikon maintained that the NPF legislators had been pressing hard for a meeting of the JLF. He has accused the ruling PDA government in the state of failing to call for a meeting on Naga political issue.
With regard to the ruling government’s stand that the JLF’s door is still open for the NPF to join, Kikon has ridiculed the utterance as “something very funny.” He said withdrawing from JLF is the prerogative of the NPF legislators and the party either to rejoin or not.
Further reiterating the party's decision of abstaining from the consultative meeting held on October 15, Kikon said the party in its working committee meeting collectively decided not to attend the consultative meeting. He added that it does not find it a necessity to attend after the withdrawal from the JLF.
He said NPF party had constituted the Political Affairs Mission (PAM) and is putting up all efforts to bring the Naga nationalist workers to an understanding. He added that the party and all the Naga civil societies are doing their best to strengthen the peace process as well as bring closer all the primary stakeholders.
Kikon informed that a committee has already been constituted for the 14-Southern Angami-I assembly constituency and started its campaign in villages and polling segments with the party MLAs, party central office-bearers, local area workers.
He stated that the star campaigners would be led by the party president Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, leader of the opposition TR Zeliang, secretary general and hosts of MLAs.
Kikon said the party, being the oldest regional party in the Northeast region and an old party which has stood the test of time and fought many elections and had emerged victorious stated, “This time round we are hoping against hope, people are still with us and hopefully, we will emerge victorious”.
On the NPF not fielding candidates at 60- Pungro-Kiphire, he maintained that ‘because of the fact that it is in the middle of the tenure, nobody wished to opt for an opposition ticket’.
Further, Kikon added that the party will take a decision at the right time stating ‘we still have time’.