'Double standard' politics of NPF :: NDPP

21st May 2019 , Dimapur

COMMUNIQUE

In view of the rejoinders issued by the NPF, its President and the NPCC that appeared in the local dailies on 20th May 2019, the NDPP is constrained to issue this communique to put to rest the issues and allegation brought up by the opposition parties and their respective presidents.

1. It is not in the nature of the NDPP to involve itself in the internal matters of the opposition parties and the NDPP has restrained itself from commenting on the internal turmoil between the NPF party and its Legislators that has been making the headlines in last couple of weeks. However, in the wake of the current decision of the NPF to sever its ties with the BJP in Manipur that has appeared in the local dailies as well as on social media platforms with the Leader of Opposition himself declaring it on his Facebook account, the NDPP cannot remain a mute spectator to the “double standard” politics of the opposition NPF since the people need to know the truth behind the “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” nature of the Naga Peoples Front!

2. As a seasoned political party as well as the oldest regional party, the NPF and its leaders should not involve themselves in child like politics which they have displayed publicly by declaring that they will “sever their ties with the BJP in Manipur “after” the counting to the elections is over”! Does the opposition NPF actually take the Naga people for fools and that they will not see through their double speak? The NPF should not try and fool the people by saying that whether they pull out their support to the Biren Singh led BJP alliance now or after the counting is the same thing.

It is not! The two have two very different connotations in the political world! It is very clear from their decision to wait for the counting to be over before severing ties with the BJP that they want to keep their option open in the eventuality of the BJP once again forming the government in Delhi! It will indeed not come as a surprise if the NPF goes back on its decision once the BJP led NDA forms the government at the centre since the past track record of the opposition precedes them! The politics of the NPF have reached such a low point that they seem to have lost all maturity and sanity of a political party, leave alone the tag of being the “oldest regional party”!

3. Today the NPF have accused the NDPP of “practicing Dictatorship”. Perhaps they have been so blinded by the Dictatorial functioning of their own leadership that they believe every other political party to be practicing that same system of Dictatorship. The dictatorial policies of the NPF have been evident in the eyes of the public in the past and even today it is evident from the fact that they have once again openly resorted to indiscriminate suspension, expulsion and disqualification of their members!

The NDPP is a democratic political regional party having our roots deeply imbedded in the grassroots which is our high command. In the last two years of our existence, never has the NDPP central headquarters taken any major decision without consulting and discussing with our party rank and file in the grassroots; and this is and will be the continued policy of the NDPP. It is further questioned and demanded of the opposition NPF to come with evidence on their accusation that the “NDPP is a practicing Dictatorship”!

4. It is amusing that the NPCC and its President Mr. K. Therie, has decided to come out all guns blazing to defend the NPF. Perhaps Mr. Therie and the NPCC should first reassure themselves that the present “alliance of convenience” that they have with the NPF will still be there come 23rd May when the election results are declared. The NPCC and its president should in fact seriously ponder on the current decision of the NPF since it only proves that it takes only a snap of the fingers for the NPF to decide to sever ties with a party which has stood with them through the years come rain or sunshine. Therefore, the NPCC should not be so hasty in coming to the rescue of its newest ally since it may be just a matter of days before the NPF decides to wave good bye to them!

5. The NPCC and its president have also once again brought up the issue of the CAB. If the Congress party too feels so strongly about the issue as its state unit then it is indeed a surprise that none of their leaders in the high command seem to have made any serious mention of the CAB throughout the campaign period all over the country during the month-long period of campaigning. Is it the case that the Congress high command silently wants that the Bill be passed while keeping its Nagaland unit in the dark? Or is the NPCC aware of the stand of their high command but are not prepared to reveal it to the people of Nagaland?

6. The statement issued by the NPF President Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu seems to be rife with contradictions and lies where he has decided very conveniently to omit certain portions in order to recreate history to his liking. It is most unfortunate that an octogenarian and one of the most seasoned and veteran politicians not only in the state but also in the North East, who instead of enjoying a comfortable retired life bereft of the nitty gritty of politics, has decided to continue to attack the ruling government and it’s leaders with false and misleading facts and statements.

7. The NPF President has in his statement mentioned that the “NPFs association with the BJP have been since 2003” therefore, he should then clarify his stand to the people since he has always claimed in the past that the Cock party and the BJP have been a natural ally ever since the inception of the Jan Sangh, the precursor of the BJP in 1977! Dr. Shurhozelie has also said that in 2003 there were 8 elected representatives of the BJP in the Assembly. Perhaps his memory fails him, but records show that there were only 7 BJP MLAs in the 10th House of the NLA unless the 10th House had 61 members!

He has also made mention that in 2013 there was one elected member from the BJP. However, he has failed to mention that in 2014, with the BJP forming the government at the centre, three erstwhile NCP members merged with the BJP. Dr. Liezietsu has very conveniently decided not to mention the fact that those 3 MLS who merged with the BJP, who were very much part of the government, were unceremoniously disqualified from the 12th House of the NLA at his behest thus playing with the lives and careers of three peoples elected representatives as per his whim and fancy.

The three Hon’ble MLAs were in fact fortunate to be reinstated back into the House since the Supreme Court ruled in their favour thereby nullifying the ill intended motive of the NPF president. The NPF president being a senior citizen should not try and fool the public by hiding actual facts just to justify his stand. It is unbecoming of not only a person of his stature but that of a former Chief Minister of Nagaland!

8. The former Chief Minister has also mentioned that the NPF had supported the BJP government in Manipur taking into account the sensitive Naga political issue. Has the NPF party ever issued any whip/directive to their MLAs in Manipur to take up the Naga issue in their Assembly? Has the NPF party directed its MLAs or issued whip to move any resolution in support of integration of Naga inhabited areas in the Manipur Assembly?

Has the NPF given any request to the Manipur government to pass any resolution in the Manipur Assembly pertaining to the Naga issue? If such have not been done, then why take the Naga issue as an excuse to support the BJP government in Manipur? The NPF and its President should not try and fool the people. If they are committed to the welfare of the people then they should also be bold enough to reveal the true facts behind having an alliance with the BJP and also on their current decision!

9. The so called sesoned regionalist should also not hold the people to ransom on the Naga political issue. This is an issue that is above politics and should not be politicised but since he has brought up the subject, it is appropriate that we refresh the public and his memory. In the past, Dr. Shurhozelie has stated time and again that he will never accept the Congress booklet authored by NPCC and Dr. S.C. Jamir “Bedrock of Naga Society” saying that unless they apologise and reject the booklet, Nagas will never forgive them.

But today, he has led his party to have an alliance with the Congress and Dr. S. C. Jamir, to the extent of his party sharing the same platform with the Congress and Jamir and himself casting his vote for the Congress. History will remember all these facts. He should not speak of supporting the Naga political issue when he has already conpromised his position on the booklet that has been declared by all Nagas led by the civil societies as being against the Naga interest and a betrayal of Naga history.

It’s a double betrayal when he gave the NPF ticket to former Congress member Mr. Apok Jamir, as NPF candidate in the bye election to the lone Lok Sabha seat followed by extending support to the Dr. S. C. Jamir, led Congress party for the just conluded general lok sabha elections. And it is even more ironical that he supported and voted for K. L. Chishi, whom he had betrayed and backstabbed to remove him as Chief Minister in the past.

10. In his statement, Dr. Shurhozelie has brought up the issue pertaining to the freezing of the Cock symbol in 1998 by the Election Commission of India owing to non-participation in the general elections since they supported the call of the Naga society for solution not election.

Perhaps the NPF party forgot this decision in 2018 when they refused to be a party to the joint resolution of all political parties to request the government of India to defer the elections in support of the call of the people of Nagaland for solution not election and were in fact the first to file their nominations for the general elections. Dr. Shurhozelie has claimed that in order to defreeze the cock symbol he contested the MP elections as an independent and that by doing so he managed to salvage both the symbol as well as the registration of the Party. This statement is probably the biggest example of a person taking credit for something he did not do. It is beyound absurd to even suggest that he contested as an independent with bus symbol to salvage the cock party.

11. The NPF is today drowing in its own lies. The false statements of its president needs to be colaborated with the leader of opposition. The NPF and its leadership continues to stand by its leader of opposition who has told the greatest lie to all Nagas and the entire country when he misled everyone with his false claim of educational qualification. The entire NPF party led by its president did not utter a single word against the then Chief Minister and present leader of opposition when it was proven that he had lied about his educational qualification. The Naga people and the country are still waiting for the leader of opposition to fulfill his statement that he will give the right statement at the right time!

The NDPP therefore puts before the people the actual facts; history will never lie even if individuals and organisations decide to mislead the people with fabricated facts about history. The NDPP will never mislead the people of Nagaland even if it means sacrificing ourselves. It is for the people to judge who is right and who is wrong; after all a political party exists because of the belief and support of the people.

(Issued by NDPP Media & Communication Committee)