NPF responds to MLAs' demand

01st August, 2017

The attention of the Naga People’s Front has been drawn to a news item which appeared in the local media wherein it was reported that the expelled and suspended NPF legislators along with a few NPF legislators have served a 15-day ultimatum to the Party President to step down, and selection of Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio as “interim NPF President” empowering him with all sorts of ridiculous so-called prerogatives.

This is to remind the Honourable legislators that the NPF Constitution clearly specifies about election of Central Office Bearers including the President of the party.

Article IV, section 5 of the Constitution of the party specifies the procedure to be followed and nowhere in the Constitution has it empowered the legislators of the party to act on their whims and fancies.

Following the Constitution of the party in letter and spirit, the present President of the Party Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu and his team of Central Office Bearers have been elected for a period of 5 years in November 2014. And as directed by the Election Commission of India in March 2015, an Emergent General Convention of the party was held on April 30, 2015 where the tenure of the present team of Office Bearers was reiterated by a show of hands, and the results along with videographic proof duly sent to the ECI which approved the same.

The State Banquet Hall is no place to elect or appoint party President or party functionaries. Moreover, there is no provision or even mention of any post in the party Constitution going by the moniker “interim President”, and it is quite possible that the legislators are confused with the ephemeral Presidentship held by a respected but misguided party leader during the 2015 crisis.

We have seen how transient the post of party President can be when he is appointed by the party legislators without following any rules or norms, and we do not have an iota of doubt that Mr Rio would go down the annals of Naga political history as another self-styled President of an imaginary political party. This fact has been made more confusing than pronounced when the social media has been circulating a hand-written document appended by 13 NPF functionaries including one Lirimong, PA to MLA Torechu, who have, on July 10 last, sworn their allegiance to Democratic Progressive Party “under the able and dynamic leadership of Shri Chingwang Konyak, President, DPP Nagaland and Shri Neiphiu Rio, Hon’ble MP Nagaland”!

The MLAs would do well to know where exactly they stand lest they end up in political oblivion when the dusts settle down. They would also do better to know who started the present crisis in the NPF party: whether it was the party functionaries or the legislators who camped in Kaziranga and staged their coup d’ tat from outside the State in connivance with leaders of the saffron party.

It was they the MLAs who have brought the NPF party to what they called “precarious condition”, if at all, creating a deep and wide divide between the party organisation and the legislative wing of the party for their selfish hunger for power. But if it is any consolation to the legislators, or gives them any comfort, the party organisation is intact and solidly behind the party President barring a few individuals and Constituency units who have not shown their loyalty to the party but to their elected representatives which, it goes without saying, should and would be discarded like rotten potatoes.

It is disheartening to realise how disgracefully thankless ingrates can ever be when it was the very party President Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who they are now tearing to shreds and spitting on with venom, who rescued former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in 2004 when majority of the party’s legislators revolted against him and bayed for his blood. This was repeated in 2015 when the Rio-led majority of NPF legislators tried every means to topple TR Zeliang, but could not achieve their diabolical plan because of the unflinching support extended to TR Zeliang by party President Dr Shurhozelie.

Again, when the Naga society was facing one of the worst crisis ever when there seemed to be total breakdown of law and order and an almost anarchy-like situation gripped the entire State in January-February this year, these honourable MLAs who are calling Dr Shurhozelie as a “fraud” now, furtively went to Dr Shurhozelie on February 15 night and begged, beseeched, pled and almost sobbed themselves silly asking him to take over as the Chief Minister to save the party and the party-led DAN Government!

Juxtaposed with such ignoble behaviour of our honourable legislators, it is most delightful to see that party rank and file of the NPF are steadfast behind the party President and most willing to forego material gains offered by legislators to part ways with the party. The NPF party is rejuvenated and takes comfort in the fact that party men and women are loyal to the political party they belong to and are not being swayed by promises of monetary benefits extended by unprincipled and shameless legislators. The NPF Central Office would like to thank and appreciate the loyalty of party workers extended during this hour of crisis and urge them to maintain their unwavering stand since truth and justice will ultimately prevail.

Issued by

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