Press Communique from NPF

Kohima, 3rd August 2020

The NDPP press statement that appeared in the local dailies blowing their own trumpet and alleging the opposition NPF instead of addressing the pertinent issues raised by the NPF for the welfare of the Naga public has come as expected. However, the NDPP should keep reminding themselves that, they are now in the helms of the state affairs and addressing the public issues is their bounden duty and not to bury the subject matter and beating around the bushes, as the Naga public is no more a fool to succumb to their cheap politicking.

1. The Naga People’s Front appreciated the NDPP Party leader, but the rank and file of the NDPP should understand the genesis of the setting up of Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) and not go overboard exaggerating to score some political brownie points. It must be known that setting up of NSSB was put in motion by the DAN-III government under TR Zeliang then Chief Minister of Nagaland, during the latter part of 2017.

For what’s worth we are indeed grateful that the PDA government is taking up what we started and so it would behoove you not to claim beyond what’s not your doing. And why speak of meritocracy, when recently, the government attempted to regularise the service of those contract employees who haven’t even put in their joining report. Meritocracy and transparency is only visible on paper and nothing to show forth on the ground.

2. On the charge of state of affairs being in chaos and instability in the government during the last regime and asking for self-retrospection, the NDPP media & Communications committee should rather do the self-introspection and spill the truth as to who engineered all the chaos and camping that took place. It is an open secret as to who started the tussle and brought about constant disturbances in the State for personal gain and safety.

Unless you are suffering from selective amnesia, it should be fresh in the hearts and minds of all the NPF workers who have now joined the NDPP camp as to the misadventures of their leader in Delhi and subsequently desperately trying to get involved in State politics and in the process burning his own party house without much success. Incessant attempts were made to bring about discord and disunity and tear down the democratically elected NPF led DAN-III.

Initiating camps in personal resorts and properties against the wishes of the elected members and yet when it failed, he tried to sneak back in to the party fold but the wisdom of the Party President saw the trickery and refused to assure him the party ticket which hit him like a thunderbolt thus making him jump across to the NDPP in whose camp he always had one foot as his backup. The incumbent CM and the NDPP party have no moral justification to accuse others of what happened which is of your own doing.

3. Further, under the dynamic leadership of TR Zeliang, the last government had an Opposition-less government thus the time taken for assembly session was drastically cut short as there was consensus and unity amongst the members both within and without the floor of the Assembly. This Unity and Leadership brought about mega projects in the road sector to the State which was non-existent during the regime of the incumbent.

In the Indo-Naga Political Issue, the DAN-III under TR Zeliang was able to bring about the historic Framework Agreement signed on 3rd August 2015 and continued to make huge strides by bringing all the negotiating groups to the table. But the current dispensation which is old wine in new bottle cannot be expected to bring about any new development as there was no sincerity in the past and will continue to be so in the future.

4. Nevertheless, the contradiction of the NDPP is evident when they say that the President of NPF should not stoop so low as to attack the media team of the NDPP and yet on the other hand they claim that “the statements of the NDPP are not the words of just a few individuals but an expression of the views and opinions of the entire rank and file of the NDPP as a political Party”.

So isn’t it safe to assume that when the President speaks against the Media team of the NDPP, he is against the entire rank and file of the NDPP as a political party and not against just a few individuals. And as a responsible political party, the NPF completely believe in the ethos of Democracy and will continue to play a constructive role as Opposition unlike some people in the NDPP who believes in Mobocracy and runs after chaos and havoc to attain their personal success and gains.

Therefore, if the NDPP led PDA Government is in a confused state and cannot deliver justice to the welfare of its people then they should humbly step down from the chair on moral ground.

Issued by:
Press Bureau,
Naga People’s Front,
Central Headquarters,
Kohima: Nagaland.