Dimapur, June 15 (MExN): Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) today maintained that the stand of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government on “integration of contiguous Naga inhabited areas” is clear – “the rights of the Naga people to live together as members of the same family under one administrative umbrella will never be given up.”
This clarification was made today in response to Naga People’s Front’s (NPF) statement, which opposed Rio’s alleged statement that the integration of Naga contagious area is not possible.
“However, it should also be understood that Nagas must mutually coexist with other people, especially our neighbours who will remain as our neighbors for all times to come,” the NDPP added in a rejoinder issued by its Media & Communications Committee.
“Both the NPF President and the Opposition Leader served as Chief Ministers in the last NPF led DAN Government. Did they even have the political will to call for and/or pass any resolution on integration?” the party questioned. “Before pointing fingers at the present Chief Minister, the NPF should first assess their performance while they held office under their present leadership.”
It asserted that the PDA government remains “wholeheartedly committed to an early resolution of the Indo-Naga political conflict in such a manner that is honorable and inclusive and the Government will leave no stone unturned in its endeavour of playing the role of an active facilitator.”
The PDA government reiterates that it will never compromise the rights and honour of the Nagas and the government is ready to make any sacrifice for the greater interest of the people it was elected to represent, the rejoinder read.
“As such, the matter rests there and the same should not be sensationalized by the Opposition without any basis for the sake of gaining political mileage through dubious means.”
NDPP further maintained that the NPF has “forfeited all moral authority to even speak of the ‘Bedrock of Naga Society’ as they themselves have fully endorsed it by teaming up with the authors who are all in the same party today.”
The NPF and its leaders, it stated, “should steer clear of the Bedrock of Naga Society as they have endorsed it fully through their political actions of aligning with the Congress.” Therefore, the NPF’s “misleading statements are only self-contradictory to their own actions…” NDPP added.
On the contrary, the rejoinder said, NDPP remains opposed to the contents of the ‘Bedrock of Naga Society’ as “it is a sellout of the Nagas’ rights. It goes without saying that until and unless the authors apologize and reject the booklet, it cannot be erased.”
