On the issue of "Letters signed by Neiphiu Rio and Chingwang Konyak"

Kohima, 08th April, 2019

The Naga People’s Front while calling upon Law enforcing agencies, including the Election Commission of India (ECI), to expedite the investigation and reveal the truth at the earliest time possible; hereby places the following details for general understanding of the matter.

1. Failing in its attempt to score political points out of the purportedly “faked letters and documents” which was published in the local dailies and widely circulated on Social Media, the NDPP Party has once again managed to shift the blame to its so-called “adversaries.” However, the matter cannot be kept in suspense and NDPP must immediately clarify what the Party meant by the word “adversaries.”

What cannot be ruled out is the fact that the documents bear the signatures of Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio and NDPP President, Chingwang Konyak. Either the documents were genuine and were leaked or otherwise, the list containing the names of NPF MLAs to be inducted as Cabinet Ministers and Advisors brings to conclusion that efforts were made by the NDPP Party to lure more NPF MLAs into their fold by exhibiting plump portfolios in printed form. There is no smoke without fire.

2. Such attempts to entice NPF MLAs only reveals the deepening trust-deficit of the NDPP Party with its Coalition Partners like the BJP, JDU and Independent despite a comfortable majority. Recently, when 18 NPF MLAs wrote to Leader of the NPF Legislature Party, TR Zeliang; the copy of which went viral on Social Media, the NDPP Party were quick to air their self-righteousness but were proved otherwise when 7 NPF MLAs decided to support its Leader, Neiphiu Rio.

The decision of 7 NPF MLAs to support Neiphiu Rio and the withdrawal of NPF Candidate in Aonglenden by-election were all stage-managed from the private residence of Neiphiu Rio at Sovima, Dimapur and the recent imbroglio only raises the doubt on whether the documents originated from the same place. NDPP claims that it supports clean election whereas these undemocratic approaches of NDPP speaks for itself.

3. A certain set of political principles is needed of the NDPP Party. It must come to a realization that the people of Nagaland only voted 18 Members of the NDPP Party to power and that the act of horse-trading will have to end sooner or later because commitments in cash or kind for more defection will have no further impact on the current NPF Legislators. As a matter of fact, the NDPP Party has jeopardized the political career of 7 NPF MLAs and as and when these MLAs are disqualified as Members of the Legislative Assembly, the sole responsibility will be upon the leadership of NDPP. Money power will not be eternal and that is a lesson which needs to be learned sooner than later.

4. The letter addressed to INC National President, Rahul Gandhi, is nothing more than a ploy to confuse the Naga people to gain leverage in the upcoming Lok-Sabha election. Having witnessed that the NDPP Candidate is losing ground, the woeful insecurity of the NDPP Party is manifested in the said letter, in all its glory. Nonetheless, the masses are bright enough to see through these scheming acts and will cast their vote for a Candidate who belongs to a Secular Party.

5. When there are people who can forge documents and cook up stories out of nowhere with forged signatures projecting a Bank balance of INR. 78 Crores in a Hongkong Bank in Singapore, who can say that these purportedly “faked letters and documents” are also not created by the same people? For people who are ardently in search of power, wealth and fame, anything and everything is within their reach regardless of how they achieve it.

It is without doubt that the political morality of the present-day Government is absolutely null, and it is a very dangerous precedent which is being set for the young upcoming Politicians of the State and the region.

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