Kohima, September 28 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has rejected allegations by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President and Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir that the party was “poaching” elected members of Town and Municipal Councils.
In a press statement issued on September 28, the NPF termed the allegations “baseless and misleading” and maintained that it had never poached any elected member. The party said councillors who had joined or extended support to the NPF had done so “voluntarily and of their own volition,” citing their faith in the party’s ideology, leadership and regional vision.
“In a democracy, elected representatives, as citizens and public leaders, have every right to make their own political choices and such decisions cannot be termed as poaching,” the NPF stated. It challenged the Congress to produce evidence of coercion, inducement or unlawful acts before the appropriate authority instead of making allegations through the media.
The NPF also criticised the Congress over Jamir’s reference to respecting the mandate of voters. It claimed that the Congress had “lost the mandate of the people of Nagaland for more than two decades” and said the NPCC leadership should introspect if grassroots leaders were leaving the party. “The mandate of the people is not the property of any political party and elected members remain accountable to the people who elected them,” it stated.
The NPF further alleged that accusing councillors of joining the party for money and projects undermined the “wisdom, integrity and independent decisions” of elected grassroots leaders and demonstrated what it described as a “condescending mindset” towards local self-governance.
On the Naga political issue, the NPF welcomed the appointment of retired IPS officer and former Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee Ajit Lal as the new Interlocutor for the Indo-Naga political talks.
The party recalled the resolution adopted on September 12, 2024, which was attended by Naga civil society organisations, churches and elected representatives, including the two MPs. It said the gathering had unanimously resolved to demand that the dialogue be elevated to the ministerial/political level.
The NPF said the reported inclusion of a Union Minister or group of Union Ministers in the negotiation framework was “a significant and encouraging development.”
It, however, criticised Jamir’s description of the new interlocutor’s appointment as a “disgrace.”
The party pointed to Point No. 4 of the September 12, 2024 resolution, to which it said Jamir was also a signatory. According to the NPF, the resolution had appealed to the Government of India to elevate the ongoing dialogue and peace process to the highest political level by appointing an interlocutor of political/ministerial level who had the confidence and mandate of the government.
The NPF said renewed engagement at the political level was an important step in the long-standing Naga political dialogue and expressed hope that the new interlocutor would engage all Naga Political Groups and stakeholders with “sincerity, sensitivity and a clear understanding of the historical and political complexities of the Naga issue.”
“The Naga political issue has remained unresolved for decades and the objective of all stakeholders should be to facilitate a peaceful, honourable, inclusive and enduring political settlement,” it stated.
The party called on political parties to exercise restraint and responsibility in public statements and contribute towards an environment conducive to peace, reconciliation and development in Nagaland.
