Dimapur, February 16 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) responds to the Nagaland Congress party’s demanding dismissal of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government in Nagaland. The NPF has denied all the allegations of the Congress, including alleged nexus with the NSCN (IM) and failure to main law and order and protecting public lives and property.
President of the NPF Dr. Shurhozelie issued a lengthy response today calling the allegations “lies” and accusing the Congress of “backdoor politics.”
On law and order, the NPF claimed once again that the ‘overall law and order situation’ in Nagaland has “significantly improved ever since the NPF government took over the reins of government.” The NPF called it “an admitted fact.”
“Factional clashes and insurgency-related violence has greatly reduced over the years and the citizens of the State have been able to conduct their daily lives without much disturbance,” the NPF claimed. “Even the government of India has acknowledged the fact that insurgency related violence has been declining as stated by former Union Home Secretary, Shri GK Pillai...”
Dr. Shurhozelie quoted the Home Secretary as saying that in Nagaland “not a single security person was killed” and there were “only” 61 cases of insurgency related violence in 2011. Mentioned may be made here that the Government of India and the major Naga undergrounds, the NSCNs, are in ceasefire.
On the enforcement of law and order in the state, the NPF president asserted that “not a day has the State government failed to carry out its duty of taking measures to enforce law and order in the State and the State has always intervened and taken appropriate measures in containing factional clashes with a humanitarian approach in order to uphold the safety of the general public.” In another wild statement, the NPF president said that “the observance and implementation of the ceasefire ground rules is the responsibility of the ceasefires monitoring mechanism.” He claimed that the state government “has followed the instructions of the government of India on any matter whenever the enforcement of the ground rules have arisen.”
The NPF also called “false” the allegation that NPF leaders met with “underground representatives” on January 4. Calling it “a naked lie” against which the NPF president and the chief minister have already issued public statements denying their participation of any such meeting. “Through this communiqué, it is once again being made clear that neither the chief minister nor the party President attended any such meeting,” Dr. Shurhozelie said.
On the ‘bandhs’ called by the NSCN (IM), the NPF said that the closure were for “shops and business establishments and all vehicular movements especially those belonging to the administration, police, para-military forces including the general public were freely allowed.”
‘There was not a single incident of violence during the closure and conduct of Republic Day functions and celebrations were not hindered in any manner. This is a complete contrast to the period of Congress rule in Nagaland when underground groups would called for public boycott of celebrations of national days where even government employees and machineries were barred from participating in such functions.’
The NPF also denied that there was any failure on the part of the State Government in conducting Republic Day functions on January 26, 2012 in the four district headquarters of Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng. “In fact, successful programmes were conducted in all the four districts with participation of the public and the respective Deputy Commissioners hoisting the National Flag to commemorate the day. There was no constitutional failure in any manner. The Government had actually refrained from using force and brutality to make VVIPs hoist the national flag but rather took a peaceful and humanitarian approach to resolve the outstanding issues after the Republic Day,” the president of the NPF claimed.
Regarding the NPF contesting in the elections to the Manipur Legislative Assembly, the NPF said the party as a legitimate recognised and registered political party under the Election Commission of India. “To make it simple to the Congress leaders it is just like the Congress party, headquartered in Delhi, is allowed to contest in Nagaland, the NPF is also allowed to contest elections anywhere in the country as per the provisions of law. There is nothing illegal about our entry into elections in any part of the country. If the Congress leaders do not understand such basic laws, it is for the people to judge their capability.”
“The NPF rejects all allegations of the Congress in its memorandum and condemns the stand of the Congress that Naga groups are anti-nationals. The true colour of the leaders has once again been exposed to the people,” the responded added.
