Imphal, May 07: Refuting the news report which said that former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had pledged to support the Naga integration aspiration, State unit president of Janata Dal (Secular) W Kulabidhu said that Newmai News Network had misquoted the election speech of the party's national president at Dimapur recently.

Speaking to newspersons at the DM Road party office of the State unit today Kulabidhu said as demanded secretary general of the party Dr Bapu Kaldate faxed a clarification to the State unit denying the report.

Quoting the secretary general, Kulabidhu asserted that Deve Gowda had only assured to solve the decades old Naga problems through consultation with leaders of political parties and the public.

Kulabidhu also distributed the fax reply of Dr Kaldate to the newspersons.

He also mooted that in no way would the former Prime Minister make speeches that would hurt the sentiments of the people of Manipur.

The State unit president also regretted that the misquoted report of NNN had created confusion and anxiety among the people.

Even today the people are in the dark over the development of the peace talk, said Kullabidhu and added that the ineffectiveness of the State Govt to demand more transparency is one reason for this.

It is pertinent to mention that Deve Gowda during his Prime Ministership in 1999 had initiated talks between the Centre and the rebel outfit resulting in the signing of an agreement for ceasefire and dialogue to solve the vexed problem.

Newmai News Network sticks to story: Reacting to the rebuttal of its report, Newmai News Network said, "If NNN alone carried the said story then there can be room for doubts.

However all the Nagaland based newspapers, namely Nagaland Post, Eastern Mirror, North East Herald, Nagaland Page, The Capital and other vernacular papers carried the same story.