NPF is for the Hills people: Dr Shurho
- and other Press Releases from NPF -

March 2, 2017

Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu

NPF is for the Hills people: Dr Shurho

Underlining the need for the Hills people to have a common platform so that their aspirations and wishes could be amplified in Manaipur Assembly, Naga People’s Front Supremo and Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu said that though the nomenclature of the party mentions Naga, the party stand for the conglomeration of the entire people of the Hill districts of Manipur.

He revealed that he has been approached by some political parties from as far as Jharkhand to join the NPF, but that he has decided to go slow for the moment.

Addressing NPF elections campaigns today at Chandel and Ukhrul district headquarters, the Chief Minister said that the inability of the 20 legislators from the hill districts to come together on a single platform all these decades has “prevented the representatives to speak out in one voice and one mind when they attend the Assembly sessions in Imphal” even though they might have the best of intentions for the over-all development of their people.

“The 20 Legislative Assembly Constituencies in the hill districts of Manipur have been represented by hills people for the last 40 years or so. But since the belong to different political parties they become strangers to each other when they come to the Manipur Legislative Assembly and they could not have the same voice since there was no platform for them to come together at that point of time. We believe that by introducing the NPF in Manipur we have provided the much-needed platform to the people of these 20 Constituencies. When these 20 legislators can come together on this platform, their collective voice can bring development; that voice can protect the interests of the hill people; and that is our aim when we decided to introduce NPF in the State of Manipur some years back,” he said.

He said though the NPF stands for integration of contiguous Naga areas, “we have to go through a democratic and legally-correct process which may take some time” but expressed optimism that sooner or later “integration will be a reality.”

Elaborating on the aims and objectives of the NPF party, he said that the party stands for peace and is determined to play the role of a peace-maker among the different sections of the people of the hill districts.

“Not only to the different sections of the people of the hill districts but even to the different factions of the underground. We have so many outfits, so many insurgency groups in the Northeast, especially Nagaland and Manipur. We do not know all their political agendas, but unless they come together, they cannot achieve anything. Therefore, one of our aims is to be the bridge between the various underground groups. One faction fighting the other factions will only bring destruction to ourselves and we are only dividing ourselves,” he said and appealed to all factions to unite for the sake of the people and renounce violence in all form.

Reiterating that the different communities of the hill districts and the Valley have been and would continue to live together as neighbours, Nagaland Chief Minister criticised Ibobi Singh of “playing a communal card for political gains” and stated that his party is “against anyone who encourages communalism.”

“We want to see all the different communities live together in peace and harmony. We stand for peace and we will continue to play for peace. We want to live in complete harmony with all our neighbours,” he said and appealed to the voters to ensure that the NPF candidates are elected.

Echoing the Chief Minister, Nagaland Minister in Charge of NPF Manipur Unit, Yitachu said that “NPF is not participating in the Manipur elections just for the sake of participating, but we are serious on finding a solution to the Naga political problem.”

Yitachu went on to recall how in 1964, the NPF party, then known as Democratic Party of Nagaland, sacrificed its 12 MLAs after the Ceasefire Agreement was signed between the Government of India and the NNC/FGN by making all of its MLAs resign from the Assembly “to pave way for a negotiated settlement.”

Also heeding to the call of the people and various sections of the Naga society, the NPF then known as NPC, boycotted the elections of 1998 in Nagaland along with all other political parties except for the Congress which filed candidates and got themselves elected unopposed and formed the Government much to the opposition of the people. Yitachu went on to recount how in Manipur the Congress party had let down the people of the hill districts all these years and said that the Congress is going to lose this time round because of Ibobi, because of the party’s policy against the Naga peace process and because of its policy against the tribal people.

(Issued by Media Cell, Chief Minister’s Office, Nagaland)

Congress has failed to prove its commitment: Vikheho

Nagaland Roads & Bridges Minister, Vikheho Swu said the people in Manipur need a stable, people sensitive and a visionary government, but unfortunately the Congress government has failed to prove its commitment in spite of decades of its rule in Manipur and also in the entire country.

Vikheho said the people of Ukhrul district are the most enlightened people amongst the hill tribes of Manipur.

“True to your commitment, you have elected 4 MLAs out of 20 seats for the hill people in 2012, and they took the historic decision to resign from their position as MLA to protest against the three Anti- Tribal Bills passed by the Manipur Assembly which has prevented thus far the President of India’s assent to the Bills,” he said while addressing an NPF election campaign at Ukhrul this afternoon.

He further lamented that the Congress government under Ibobi Singh has “alienated and segregated the hill tribes of Manipur and that of some Meiteis only for their benefit.” He stated that North-Eastern states would be the gateway between India and the ASEAN countries in the near future with the announcement of Act East Policy by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

“Safeguarding our land, traditions, customs and practices of our forefathers is equally important as development of our land and people,” he added.

Vikheho said “with death in your houses, families segregated, your land been divided, your right to earn and live at stake, if you cannot stand together posterity will question you one day, there is no better time for change than now” and appealed to the people to vote for the NPF party which he said, stands for the aspiration of the hills people of Manipur.

Issued by
Media & Press Bureau, Naga People’s Front, Central Office

NPF on NPCC vitriolics

The attention of the NPF has been drawn to certain remarks of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee which appeared in a section of the local media this morning wherein the speech of the former Chief Minister TR Zeliang at Tamenglong district headquarter the other day was criticised.

The truth is bitter, and it is more so for the Congress party when the former Chief Minister stated the truth how Congress Chief Minister Ibobo Singh has been clinging to power using all sorts of Central and State security forces available at his disposal turning out the whole State into a war-zone like environment.

If the handling of the ULB elections was a fiasco as the party claimed, what can be said of the Congress party which passed a resolution supporting holding of ULB elections with 33% reservation of seats for women, printed their manifesto but when there were no takers for their party tickets in the ULB elections, withdrew from the scene quietly and maintained a deafening silence all throughout. Indeed, the Congress party had “tactfully handled the simmering situation” as the Media Cell of the party termed it.

It should now clarify to the people of the State as to what extenuating circumstances compelled it to act so hypocritically in the first place, and also how their resolution to support and participate in the ULB elections was turned down by their High Command. After all, the culture of capitulating before the High Command is alien to the Naga people but for the Congress party leaders, the penitent position is their most favoured position when in Delhi.

If the Congress harbours any delusions that the DAN legislators had abandoned the former Chief Minister, they have another thinking coming. It should be remembered by one and all that the former Chief Minister was compelled to step down for the sake of peace and tranquillity not from within the Assembly or the Government, but from outside forces which resorted to all sort of violent and morbid methods for the political benefits of a few vested interests.

And if the Congress party is so keen to respond to the political speeches of the NPF leaders in Manipur, they should go to Manipur and campaign for their party candidates. Unfortunately, they have not been invited to address even a single election campaign by their counterparts in Manipur, and they have no other option but to resort to armchair politicking whereby they at least, make themselves heard.

In other words, having being reduced to a few desperate political had-beens, the NPCC leaders are consoling themselves by making regular noises now and then in the local media earning the rightful tag of being Paper Tigers and Generals without Soldiers!

Issued by
Media & Press Bureau, Naga People’s Front, Central Office