NPF on TR Zeliang statement
Source: Press Bureau, NPF *

Kohima, October 25 2017: Mr TR Zeliang, who heads an unconstitutional Government, made a wishful statement when he said the Cock symbol of the Naga People's Front would be theirs.

But this is just an attempt to fool and confuse the public because if he was so confident of getting the symbol Cock, he would not have been hobnobbing with the Nationalist People's Party, nor would Neiphiu Rio burn the midnight oil to get his Party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party registered with the Election Commission of India.

The general public can clearly see through their bluff and it is an open secret that their brief honeymoon shall come to an end in a matter of weeks as both of them head towards their respective political parties.

But in the meantime, one should not think too harshly of their ridiculous statements since they are under immense pressure to keep their flock together, and they are compelled to make fantastic statements to convince their followers as well as themselves.

Mr Zeliang asked what type of majority we are going to prove to the ECI since they, Zeliang and cohorts, have already had their General Convention.

For his as well as for the consumption of the public, few facts need to be pointed out.

.1 In its order dated October 17, 2017, the ECI stated that as " per the list of office bearers submitted by the Party [NPF] in 2015, Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu was shown as the President of the party, and Shri Apong Pongener as the Working President" .

This makes it obvious that as far as the ECI is concerned, and as per the records available with the Commission, Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu is the President of the Naga People's Front.

.2 The ECI, is the aforementioned Order, clearly stated that the present crisis had arisen "out of an application dated 17.08.2017 filed by Sh.

Neiphiu Rio, claiming himself as the President of the NPF" .

It is evident that Rio is staking claim to something without the backing of legality, and the Commission, in its wisdom, has acknowledged this claim and has referred the matter back to the party.

If it had found any legality in Rio's claim, it would have settled the matter then and there.

But it has not.

.3 The Commission also said that when "a similar dispute arose within the party in 2015 with rival claims between two factions and attendant expulsions and suspension, the Commission vide its order dated 27.03.2015 directed the two factions to follow the abovementioned provisions in Article XV of the Party Constitution to resolve the dispute with the decision of active members of the party as laid down therein." The Commission went on to direct the two groups to exhaust specific mechanism provided in the Constitution and to settle the dispute internally by way of calling for a General Convention and let active members decide the matter.

Human memory is not too short as to remember that in 2015, Dr Shurhozelie summoned an Emergent General Convention on April 30 and the rest is history.

Now, if the much-hyped so-called General Convention of September 20, 2017 held at Dimapur by the claimants were to have any legality or authority, the attention of the Commission would have been drawn to it and mention would have made of it in its Order dated October 17, 2017.But not even a whiff of mention of that gathering was made in the said order which goes to vindicate our stand that the September 20 get-together at Dimapur was unauthorized, illegal and unconstitutional, and that expelled and suspended members of a political party are not competent enough to summon a General Convention of that political party.

As to Zeliang's query as to what "type of General Convention will Dr Shurhozelie and his group convene again", we would like to remind him that the November 22, 2017 General Convention called by Dr Shurhozelie would be something like that of April 30, 2015 General Convention where only active members enrolled prior to the dispute would be allowed to attend but expelled members like Mr Zeliang and cohorts would not be allowed to participate as per provisions of the party Constitution.

* The sender of this news can be contacted at npfpressbureau(AT)rediffmail(DOT)com .

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