Kohima, June 2 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) today stated it was “flabbergasted” by the statement of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) “washing their hands off and denying their involvement in filing the First Information Report (FIR) against the NPF President, Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu.” NDPP in the statement had said the party had only lodged a complaint letter to the Election Commission of India.
The NPF in a statement issued by its Press Bureau reminded that one Prasielie Pienyü, an election agent of NDPP candidate Tokheho Yepthomi, had Filed the FIR No. 0030/18 at Police Station Kohima on May 22 against Shürhozelie under Section 153 A IPC and 125 Representation of People's Act 1952 corresponding to GR Case No. 84/18.
“In this regard, the NPF would like to ask its rival party NDPP, whether they have a communication gap between their leader who filed the FIR, and its party functionaries who had issued press releases at random without knowing the pros and cons of the issue in question, or it may be a cheap political gimmick to confuse the minds of the people,” the NPF statement read.
Though the NPF president was “prepared to be arrested for a good cause he was rendering for the people by propagating the Article 25 of Constitution of India that advocate secularism and freedom of religion,” it said, an anticipatory bail was obtained through the intervention of party leaders and loyalists before the police arrived at his home to arrest him.
NPF noted that the NDPP/BJP had accused its party president of giving an inflammatory speech at an election rally held in Kohima, which according to them, might cause violent clashes, riots and street fights. On this account, they lodged the complaint with the ECI and a subsequent FIR was filed at the Police Station, it added.
The party further recalled the president's address, where he spoke on the issues of atrocities committed against Christians and minorities across the country that rose from 177 incidents in 2015 to 351 in 2017 with the BJP ruling at the Centre. He had further appealed to the people to rise up to the occasion and protect Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, but his speech was dragged to the ECI court and police station by NDPP, NPF stated.
“Therefore, the NDPP should stop playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or stoop so low as to degrade itself further but should concentrate more on real development issues and start working for the welfare of the people and the state,” the NPF statement added.
