Bonnie Konyak
Dimapur | December 7
Mocking the Congress party’s confidence of forming the next Government in the State, Parliamentary Secretary, Hewoto Awomi said that there could be ceasefire between the GOI and the Underground groups but not within the Congress party. “Nobody can bring ceasefire between them”, he jeered. Specifically mentioning the power struggle between former Chief Minister K.L. Chishi, NPCC President Hokheto and CLP leader I. Imkong, he said that Congress would not come to power because instead of preparing for the election, they are “busy fighting among themselves”.
Speaking to the press at his residence in Dimapur, the Parliamentary Secretary said that there are many leaders in the Congress party but when decision time comes, they run to Delhi. On the Congress party’s policy of naming the team leader only after election, he said that Nagas are not fools. Giving the example of the Naga custom of selecting a GB before establishing a village, he questioned, “How can we take such a decision (vote them to power) without knowing who is going to be the leaders”. On the recent ambush of former Chief Minister Dr. S.C. Jamir, Hewoto said that “Jamir has used his own technique at the wrong time” and that it had misfired on him.
Referring to the timing of the incident, Hewoto reasoned that the “underground group” had been busy with the unification drive to bother about the ambush. Indirectly attributing the ambush as stage managed as claimed by the NSCN (IM), Hewoto said that in this age of sophisticated weapons, the hand-made weapons used for the ambush was questionable. “Such leaders we have among us”, Hewoto exclaimed.
Hewoto also attacked the NPF legislators who defected from the party recently, particularly K. Hollohon and Tokheho Yepthomi saying, “They have done the highest crime in front of people, in front of God”. He went on to add that the two should have been the “happiest in the DAN government” as Rio had always catered to Hollohon’s every demand for his son-in-law (Tokheho) and himself, but instead they had betrayed the mandate of the people. “I don’t see any future for such people even if they join any other party”, Hewoto said while continuing that their leaving the party had only strengthened the NPF party.
The Parliamentary Secretary also enthused that the NPF led DAN coalition would come to power even next term. He said that any differences within the NPF party had been sorted out after the defectors had left the party and now the party was clear of all doubts. Hewoto also expressed confidence in “himself and the party” that he would get the party ticket for Dimapur II and added that he would still contest from Dimapur II even if he did not get the ticket. Hewoto admitted that there had been demands from the people for him to contest from Khekeho’s constituency and aired his suspicion that it must have been the ploy of the Congress.
Meanwhile, Hewoto expressed support to the unification move of the undergrounds but said that it must not be only with a single tribe and said that the door should be open to all the tribes for unification instead.
