The rejoinder of the NPF was nothing but rubbish. As usual they had evaded from replying to all issues of public importance raised by the Congress. The NPF was defenseless because the points raised by the Congress were all facts. It is unfortunate that the party that is in power has nothing to give to the people of Nagaland as far as the political debate is concerned and had resorted to cheap political mud-slinging on non-issues. The NPF media and press bureau couldn’t read between the lines because they are simply blinded by power and greed. The NPF should learn to focus on pertinent issues raised by the opposition. As the party in power, the people of Nagaland expect responsible statement from them, based on facts and figures.
The NPCC has no political taste to engage itself in public debate on non issues. However for public record, the NPF’s distasteful propaganda campaign against the Congress party organization and its leadership needs to be cleared lest the people are misled.
The allegation of Congress as a divided house was an interference in the inner party affairs of the Congress. Despite the fact that the Congress also knows the bitter internal bickering in the NPF party, the Congress as a mature political party had never interfered in the internal matters of another political party. If the NPF has the misconception that the Congress is a divided house, that’s their problem. In any political party, differences of opinion do exist. People who are not with the majority are called dissidents in political parlance. It is an open secret that Shri. Neiphiu Rio and his coterie had unsuccessfully tried to come back to Congress from back door by engineering dissidence in the Congress. Therefore, their frustration is understandable. The unfortunate NPCC election imbroglio will remain fresh in the minds of the NPF because it was their failed mission.
On labeling the leader of opposition as a “leader of defections”, the NPF should not think that Shri. Neiphiu Rio is sacrosanct in political defection. The public memory is not too short to remember that Shri. Neiphiu Rio started his political career from UDF. He was elected on Congress ticket in 1989, 1993 and 1998. He defected to NPF and got elected on NPF ticket in 2003 and 2008 elections. The NPF will do well to remember that Shri. Neiphiu Rio as Chief Minister did not fall from the sky directly. He was propelled and groomed by the Congress party to the present position.
It may also be recalled that Shri. Neiphiu Rio was one of the legislators disqualified in 1995 by Shri. T. N. Ngullie, the then Speaker of the NLA. The disqualification order was revoked by Shri. Thenucho, who took over from Shri. T. N. Ngullie and for this act of political favour, Shri. Thenucho was handsomely rewarded by Shri. Neiphiu Rio in 2008 election. Such is the nature of Shri. Neiphiu Rio.
Has the NPF forgotten that Cabinet Ministers namely, Shri. T. R. Zeliang, Shri. Doshehe, Shri. G. Kaito, Shri. Imkong L. Imchen and Shri. Nyeiwang Konyak were all political defectors? In as much as the present political era is called coalition era, there was also an era of political defection for whatever reason including the weak anti-defection law. Yet, if the NPF still insist that the people’s government should be led a person who has no history of political defection, Shri. Neiphiu Rio should pave the way for Dr. Shürhozelie.
The electorates of Nagaland will soon decide the fate of all political parties and leaders. One thing people know for sure is that, the glory of NPF has reached its peak and it has started its descending journey. Power has made the NPF party haughty and arrogant and people long for a change.
NPCC
