Rejoinder by Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu : 20th June, 2018

20 June 2018, Kohima :

R E J O I N D E R

Apropos a news item that appeared in Local Newspaper dated the 20th June 2018 issued by the NDPP Media and Communication Committee, I want to make a few comments.

The NDPP’s Media and Communication Committee called me a ‘liar’ and ‘a President on Bail’. I want them to prove to me these two serious character assassination allegations. Their Chief Minister made a statement in Delhi on June 12, 2018 in which he mentioned that

(a) Naga Integration was not possible and (b) PDA Govt. would not oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.

NPF stands for protection of Nagaland interest and, therefore, we are against these statements of the Chief Minister. If they say that their Chief Minister did not make any statement as such, say so.

But without having any ground to justify their stand, why they made angry outburst calling me a liar. By calling me a liar, they cannot change the mindset of the Naga people to support Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 or go against integration issue. I am not a liar and I cannot become a liar just because they called me a liar. Rather I do not want them to be habitual liars.

Further, I want to tell them that I am not ‘a President on bail’. People of Nagaland are aware that NDPP filed FIR against me just before the recently concluded bye-election in Nagaland saying that I had indulged in highly inflammatory speeches which had the effect of promoting feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will and creating disharmony between different communities on the ground of religion.

Yes, I have said that ‘we have freedom of religion in Nagaland as per the provision of Article 25 of the Constitution of India; but in some BJP ruled States, this freedom is no more.’ I have also declared that I would defend the Christian faith in Nagaland and I have appealed to my party leaders to tell the people the truth what the Christians have been facing in the country today.

The NDPP wanted to arrest me and therefore they have filed FIR against me. If so, why they failed to arrest me. Do they think that they could cow me down by doing this? I stand for the truth and If I should go to jail for what I have said to defend my own faith, even if they jail me, I will not be worried, but I will rather be proud of it for defending my people and my faith.

In future also, I will continue to tell the people the danger of anti-Christian violence in the country so that people of Nagaland will be on our guard to avoid the dangers stated above. I believe those who tried to arrest me in support of Hindutva are all Christians.

I am no body to force any one to stand with me if any one feels it a danger to take a stand against the anti-Christian violence. When one goes through ‘Persecution Relief’ reports, detail of incidents of anti-Christian violence in different States are available. NDPP’s stand to suppress the people to speak the truth goes against the spirit of the Constitution of the country.

Since they have invited me, I will be happy to bring out the reports of anti-Christian violence in India from time to time to give opportunity to NDPP people to jail me if they like it. I will continue to protect my own faith under any circumstances and nobody can stop me talking about it.

(Shürhozelie Liezietsu)
President,
Naga People’s Front,
Central Headquarter,
Kohima, Nagaland.