Kohima, August 20 (MExN): The tussle for legitimacy between the two warring NPF groups seemingly has no end in sight as the war of words continued even on Sunday.
While the NPF Central questioned how an expelled member of the NPF can become the Chief Whip of the very political party from which he has been expelled, the Neiphiu Rio led group argued that the “NPF minority group” has no legal or moral authority to question or overrule the majority group.
The NPF Central through its Media & Press Bureau queried as to when legislators of a political party have been empowered/ authorized to elect their own Whip without the knowledge, consent or approval of the political party they belong to, and further questioned when the appointment of Kiyanilie Peseyie as the Chief Whip of the NPF party (dated November 14, 2014) was cancelled or rescinded.
“How can there be two Whips for a single political party in a single House?” it further posed.
Contending that the 91st amendment of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India gave “teeth” to the political parties to control their legislators, the NPF Central argued that it is not possible for the legislature wing of the political party to elect its own Whip and dictate on the political party.
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution clearly mentions that a member of a House belonging to any political party shall be disqualified for being a member of the House “if he votes or abstains himself from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by the political party to which he belongs,” it maintained. “Nowhere is there any whiff of a mention that a member is liable to be disqualified if he votes contrary to the direction issued by the legislature party,” it added.
However, the Rio-led NPF through its Press & Information Cell insisted that the Media and Press Bureau of Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu “has no legality in propagating the agenda of the minority group since the voice of the majority in the Legislature and the Party set up is solidly behind Neiphiu Rio who has been popularly chosen to lead the NPF Party”.
“If there is any illegality anywhere, it is with the minority NPF group and its ‘Misinformation and Propaganda Bureau’ which is relentlessly trying to confuse the people with concocted versions and misinterpretations of the laws of the country and the Constitution of the NPF,” the Rio-led NPF contended.
Pointing to the fifteen-day timeframe given to Dr. Shürhozelie to resign from his post, the Rio-led group stated that the former “utterly disregarded the voice of the majority” and contended, “it has now become incumbent upon Neiphiu Rio to function as the full-fledged President of the NPF Party.”
With this in context, the Rio-led group insisted that it was very much legal on their part to call for a CEC Meeting on August 22 “since the actions of the minority group within the party cannot dictate the entire NPF.”
It further declared that all actions taken by the “minority NPF” under the leadership of Dr Shürhozelie after July 13 as “null and void”.
“All the manipulations carried out by them like back-dating the lists of CEC members and COBs is also not legally admissible since the original lists are already with the Election Commission of India for a final decision,” it added.
CEC meeting
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Neiphiu Rio has issued a meeting notice for the Central Executive Council (CEC) on August 22, 10:00 am at its temporary office, Bayavu Hill, Kohima.
