DIMAPUR, JAN 28 (MExN): Replying to the United Naga Council, the Naga National Party today clarified that it is not educating people with “ulterior motives” in mind, as against a report carried in The Morung Express. A press release issued by S Muinao, General Secretary of the Party, said the NNP has been working for the last eight years, from its formation, to bring awareness on “Naga identity, Naga integration, Naga on-going Peace Process and other Naga common aspirations and interests as well as peaceful co-existence and ‘good-neighbourhood’” with peoples of the North East.
Muinao said the NNP is not making allegations and false charges against MLAs/ex-MLAs mentioned by UNC President Paul Leo for contesting the elections but “rather we are questioning how and why NGO like UNC have selected those MLAs to be their consensus candidates against their election mobilization campaign, and against their paper circulation.”
Holding their stand that they are not against any candidate including present MLAs, the NNP stated that on the contrary, UNC issued ‘cautious warning’ to the candidates and political parties but not to their independent candidates.
Maintaining that NNP is a ‘true’ Naga party that stands for common issues of the Nagas, the release said the Party’s stand for Naga integration “as even before we resigned from the Samata Party and we stood firmly for the same till today.”
The NNP has reiterated that it wants “solution of Naga political issue rather than meaningless election.”
Pointing out that the UNC, as a social organization, is not expected to involve in active electoral processes, the NNP appealed to all Nagas in Manipur not to allow any Naga non-political organization to participate in the 9th Manipur legislative election campaign for any party or candidate “otherwise their action would be depriving the democratic rights of the people.”
The release further clarified that NNP President Ng Hungyo had not mentioned the names of ANSAM and NMA during a telephonic conversation with this newspaper, the news of which appeared on January 25.
