Longrangty Longchar
Dimapur | May 15
Months of speculation about a crisis in the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Party (NPCC) came out concrete in the light with a senior Congress leader hitting out at the Congress top command especially the president, Hokheto Sumi for sheer incompetence.
Speaking to the The Morung Express in a telephonic conversation this evening, Pradesh Congress Committee member and former minister Dr Kakheto Zhimomi said that there are differences in the top level and state level party workers though they do not want to show it. Dr Zhimomi said that there are no ‘leaders’ in the party at the moment and unless Goa Governor, SC Jamir, returns to state politics then there is no chance for the Congress party winning in the coming state general elections.
Dr Zhimomi said that the starting point for the differences within the party began when during the last bye elections, when the Dimapur seat ticket was denied to KL Chishi, former Chief Minister, for which the Congress president Hokheto Sumi even tendered his resignation.
However, Dr Zhimomi expressed his frustration at the way the Congress chief handled the situation. Hitting out at the Congress president, Dr Zhimomi said that Hokheto Sumi, instead of quietly tendering his resignation to the party high command, went to the media, thereby exposing the weakness of the party and also creating much resentment and unhappiness among the party workers.
Besides, Dr Zhimomi had more to say about Hokheto. He said that the NPCC president is using only his coterie, those party workers loyal to him, but who have no mass-based support. Dr Zhimomi cited this as one reason why the people were not happy with the state high command. Dr Zhimomi said that during former Chief Minister SC Jamir’s times, he had convened DCCI and DCC meeting from time to time, however, Dr Zhimomi lamented that the present president has not convened even one DCCI meeting in four years, and added that the party does not even know what the president is doing.
Dr Zhimomi categorically said that there should be a complete change in the state party leadership as a means to revamp the party. “They (NPCC) should change the party president and all the state level office bearers,” said Dr Zhimomi.
Dr Zhimomi also said that the top party workers do not go to the grass root level and obey the voice of the masses which makes the people more aggrieved. He said the president ‘should not function with his coterie alone, but take every one into confidence’.
About the visit of the AICC in charge of Nagaland, Ranjit Thomas, Dr Zhimomi observed the state in-charge might have come to assess the situation and take the opinion of the people, however, although the party top brass may try to give a push to the party, “it depends on how strong the party is at home”.
On the other front Dr Zhimomi also maintained that the NPCC has miserably failed to project the failures of the DAN government to the people. He opined that the Congress party is very weak with the media and has failed to use it properly, and in this regard, Dr Zhimomi put Hokheto in the line of fire. He asserted that there is ‘censorship’ from the president as the party workers cannot talk with the media unless given by the permission by the high command to do so. All these, said Dr Zhimomi, cannot project the party properly to the people.
Cong leaders deny differences
Even as party workers expressed their frustration over the NPCC top leaders, the Congress President Hokheto Sumi said that there was no differences among the Congress workers and termed the rumors as “speculations of the media.” He made no further comment on it.
Another, Congress legislator said that the party did have disagreements but not differences.
CHe said that people should differentiate between ‘disagreements’ and ‘differences’, and said that no differences was there among the party workers. “No leadership dispute at the moment,” he reiterated again and again.
Another legislator, Rokonicha blatantly denied the rumors about the crisis and alleged that it was the handiwork of the opponents of the Congress party. He reiterated that there are no differences among the rank and file of the party.
Former Nagaland Chief Minister, KL Chishi firmly asserted ‘there is no crisis (in the party); the party is intact, the party is cohesive and we are trying to make every effort unitedly to take over the government’ in the next state elections.
Chishi, nonetheless, said that there might be some differences of opinion as in a democracy, but he said that it cannot be termed as a crisis.
However, Chishi, when asked how he reacts to Dr Zhimomi words that the Congress set up needs completely overhauled, declined to comment on it and diplomatically added that Dr Zhimomi can give his own individual opinion.
On another question the ‘starting point’ of the differences when NPCC president, Hokheto Sumi tendered his resignation, Chishi said that there was nothing wrong with the act of Hokheto tendering his resignation as ‘when some decision makers, they make decisions not conforming to the opinion shared by him (Hokheto) then he can act in any manner, in the interest of the party’.
Morung Express News
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