Kohima, August 14 (MExN): NPF president and former Chief Minister, Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu on Monday termed the present crisis between the Naga People’s Front (NPF) party and the “expelled and suspended” NPF MLAs as “just mere challenge to all party leaders and workers to test their integrity and principles towards the party.”
Addressing the Central Office Bearers here at party Central Headquarters, Dr. Shürhozelie said this is the “time for the party leaders to prove their faithfulness and dedication towards the party and also to prove their leadership quality to their followers at the grassroots level,” according to a press release from Media & Press Bureau, NPF Central HQ.
The NPF president affirmed that the party is intact and the law is on the party’s side. With regard to the appointment of “interim president” by the other group of NPF, he asserted that there is no such post mentioned in the NPF constitution.
The former Chief Minister also said that TR government today has turned from opposition-less to party-less government and if the State Governor, who is supposed to be the constitutional head of the State, allows the government to continue, it is for the people of the country to think over and judge the actions of the Governor.
Terming the TR government as “unconstitutional,” he also criticized that the Assembly Speaker accepted TR Zeliang’s whip ignoring the official whip of the NPF party.
Dr. Shürhozelie explained that in no history of the political party, a chief whip was appointed by the legislators. The NPF party had appointed MLA Kiyaneilie Peseyie as the party whip on November 14, 2014 and the NLA speaker also gave recognition and notified the appointment on November 15, 2014, he added.
Therefore, Dr. Shürhozelie said the Speaker cannot misuse his office. “The Speaker should act above any political parties in his office,” he added.
He urged the party leaders not to be misguided as all the necessary information is with the court and the issue will be decided by the court.
MP Rajya Sabha, KG Kenye in his speech termed the present tussle as a good sign as every leader is eyeing the NPF party. He also said that in 15 years of NPF in power, “all kinds of people have been accommodated into the party fold and the present crisis is the right time to filter out the unwanted leaders.”
The present crisis maybe a blessing in disguise, Kenye said, adding that the “good ones will remain in the party whereas people with ulterior motives would be driven away for good.”
