Dimapur, March 8 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today said that the Naga People’s Front (NPF) winning only four seats out of 12 fielded candidates in 20 assembly seats in even the Naga areas in Manipur, is itself a reflection that barely a quarter of the people want ‘integration.’ The result is a reflection of sentiments that the people want emotional integration, not territorial integration, the Congress reminded.
The NPCC said it is “ashamed” to read of the NPF’s claim in the Media that the ‘journey of the Nagas towards integration has begun’ by winning the four seats. “Out of 20 assembly seats in the hill districts of Manipur, the NPF had set up 12 candidates in the just concluded Manipur Assembly elections. It went to the polls on its manifesto; ‘Integration of the Nagas’.
Out of the twenty seats in the hill districts, the Congress party won 14 seats. The NPF had won four seats. Winning four seats out of twenty seats means only 1/5th of the people had supported the NPF’s idea of integration and 4/5th of the Naga people had rejected it,” the NPCC said in press release receive here today. “The Nagas of Manipur had proved it with the election results,” the NPCC reminded the party.
“Was it a victory to boast about? It is a pity that the NPF is contented with the poor third position as though that will do magic on integration. What will the four insignificant opposition NPF MLAs do in the house of assembly? Will the guts to talk about integration on the floor of the house? Today, the NPF has put the Nagas of Manipur to disadvantage position by causing further confrontation with the Meiteis. The backward journey to integration has begun indeed!”
The NPCC referred to the United Naga Council’s open opposition to the Manipur Congress but supporting the NPF. The right-thinking Nagas realized that under the present circumstances, the territorial integration of all the Naga inhabited areas of India and Myanmar is impossible, the NPCC reminded. “That is why they did not buy the idea of NPF and its leaders. They knew that the NPF and its chief minister are only misguiding the Nagas for their selfish interest. When territorial integration is not achievable, our brothers and sisters of Manipur understands that they have to live in harmony with the Meiteis; the majority community in Manipur. They did not want to be isolated by the majority community and be deprived of development.”
The Congress ridiculed the NPF further saying the NPF’s boasting is a shame when even in Ukhrul district – supposedly the stronghold of UNC – the regional party won only one seat and that too with a razor thin margin of 86 votes whereas the rest two seats in the district were won by the Congress.
Further the NPCC said, in Naga majority Tamenglong district, the NPF could not win even a single seat. “In 2007 Manipur Assembly election, the UNC had set up 11 candidates and won 6 seats. This time, only the name of the party was changed to NPF. It set up 12 candidates and won 4 seats only. To win these four seats, the NPF and its chief minister had spent crores of rupees. If they are really care for the Nagas of Manipur they could have build schools and hospitals with the amount of money spent for the election in the Naga inhabited areas of Manipur, so that the people would have benefited in some ways,” the Congress stated.
The opposition said that the Manipur Congress party and its leader Ibobi Singh are now ‘laughing’ at the NPF. “It is not the Nagas who are grateful to NPF; it is the Congress party in Manipur led by Mr. Ibobi Singh, the chief minister, who is grateful to Rio and his party. Rio made him a hero in Manipur. The people of Manipur stood by him and the Congress party to achieve this thumping victory.”
“As far as we understand the people want emotional integration and not territorial integration; more so, after the ENPO had come up with their demand for a separate statehood. The people of Tirap and Changlang districts are aware of the injustices done to ENPO areas by the NPF government and are afraid to meet the same fate under Rio and his party.”
The Congress added that the NPF and its leaders should “stop harassing our brothers and sisters of Arunachal Pradesh with their empty idea of integration.”
he Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today said that the Naga People’s Front (NPF) winning only four seats out of 12 fielded candidates in 20 assembly seats in even the Naga areas in Manipur, is itself a reflection that barely a quarter of the people want ‘integration.’ The result is
reflection of sentiments that the people want emotional integration, not territorial integration, the Congress reminded.
The NPCC said it is “ashamed” to read of the NPF’s claim in the Media that the ‘journey of the Nagas towards integration has begun’ by winning the four seats. “Out of 20 assembly seats in the hill districts of Manipur, the NPF had set up 12 candidates in the just concluded Manipur Assembly elections. It went to the polls on its manifesto; ‘Integration of the Nagas’.
Out of the twenty seats in the hill districts, the Congress party won 14 seats. The NPF had won four seats. Winning four seats out of twenty seats means only 1/5th of the people had supported the NPF’s idea of integration and 4/5th of the Naga people had rejected it,” the NPCC said in press release receive here today. “The Nagas of Manipur had proved it with the election results,” the NPCC reminded the party.
“Was it a victory to boast about? It is a pity that the NPF is contented with the poor third position as though that will do magic on integration. What will the four insignificant opposition NPF MLAs do in the house of assembly? Will the guts to talk about integration on the floor of the house? Today, the NPF has put the Nagas of Manipur to disadvantage position by causing further confrontation with the Meiteis. The backward journey to integration has begun indeed!”
The NPCC referred to the United Naga Council’s open opposition to the Manipur Congress but supporting the NPF. The right-thinking Nagas realized that under the present circumstances, the territorial integration of all the Naga inhabited areas of India and Myanmar is impossible, the NPCC reminded. “That is why they did not buy the idea of NPF and its leaders. They knew that the NPF and its chief minister are only misguiding the Nagas for their selfish interest. When territorial integration is not achievable, our brothers and sisters of Manipur understands that they have to live in harmony with the Meiteis; the majority community in Manipur. They did not want to be isolated by the majority community and be deprived of development.”
The Congress ridiculed the NPF further saying the NPF’s boasting is a shame when even in Ukhrul district – supposedly the stronghold of UNC – the regional party won only one seat and that too with a razor thin margin of 86 votes whereas the rest two seats in the district were won by the Congress.
Further the NPCC said, in Naga majority Tamenglong district, the NPF could not win even a single seat. “In 2007 Manipur Assembly election, the UNC had set up 11 candidates and won 6 seats. This time, only the name of the party was changed to NPF. It set up 12 candidates and won 4 seats only. To win these four seats, the NPF and its chief minister had spent crores of rupees. If they are really care for the Nagas of Manipur they could have build schools and hospitals with the amount of money spent for the election in the Naga inhabited areas of Manipur, so that the people would have benefited in some ways,” the Congress stated.
The opposition said that the Manipur Congress party and its leader Ibobi Singh are now ‘laughing’ at the NPF. “It is not the Nagas who are grateful to NPF; it is the Congress party in Manipur led by Mr. Ibobi Singh, the chief minister, who is grateful to Rio and his party. Rio made him a hero in Manipur. The people of Manipur stood by him and the Congress party to achieve this thumping victory.”
“As far as we understand the people want emotional integration and not territorial integration; more so, after the ENPO had come up with their demand for a separate statehood. The people of Tirap and Changlang districts are aware of the injustices done to ENPO areas by the NPF government and are afraid to meet the same fate under Rio and his party.”
The Congress added that the NPF and its leaders should “stop harassing our brothers and sisters of Arunachal Pradesh with their empty idea of integration.”
