Forming opposition-less govt on pretext of Naga issue is insulting: Nagaland Congress

Kohima: After Nagaland’s main opposition party Naga People’s Front (NPF) revealed its decision to join the ruling government reportedly over the Naga political issue, the Nagaland Congress Pradesh Committee (NPCC) slammed the party’s decision for insulting the people.

“The decision of the NPF to join the PDA coalition govt comes as no surprise, given the fact that the main opposition party with 26 MLAs (now 25 MLAs) has been the most silent opposition bench in the history of NLA for the past 40 months. However, taking pretext of Naga political issue to converge into an opposition-less govt is an insult to the people of Nagaland as their main objective is to raid the state exchequer and enjoy the perks of office while delaying the implementation of Naga political solution,” it said.

The Congress party said that the NPF which won 26 seats in the 2018 assembly elections mainly on the “plank of anti Hindutva narrative is back to square one”. It said that the NPF’s association with the BJP since its formation and also allowing the BJP to be part of all three DAN coalition governments from 2003 to 2018 cannot be “missed out”.

The party added that the NPF’s continuous association with the BJP in Manipur since March 2017 “tainted their professed secular image even after parting with BJP in Nagaland before 2018 assembly elections”.

“Therefore, NPF throwing in the towel before BJP and NDPP at this crucial juncture in Naga political history is a total sellout of their regional pride at the altar of Hindutva politic,” it said.

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It added that the NPF’s “meek decision” to surrender again have created two schools of thought in Nagaland—one that is “espoused by BJP, NDPP and the NPF to delay the Naga political solution and promote Hindutva politics”, and the Congress on the other end that is “firmly standing for implementing the Naga political solution and upholding secularism at any cost”.

The Congress reiterated that forming an opposition-less govt is not the solution at this juncture, rather an obstacle towards the implementation of Naga political solution.

“Instead of fooling the people, all 60 legislators should immediately resign from Nagaland Legislative Assembly if they are sincere enough to pave the way for an early Naga political solution,” it added.