MP KG Kenye ‘misled’ his LS colleague Lorho S Pfoze over CAA: NPF

Kohima: Achumbemo Kikon, the newly appointed secretary general of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), on Monday justified the opposition party’s decision of suspending its Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye from the party and warning its Lok Sabha MP Dr Lorho S Pfoze for voting in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as “fair and just” saying that Pfoze was “misled” by Kenye.

In December last year, both the NPF MPs were served separate show cause notices by the party for voting in favour of the CAB/CAA in both houses of Parliament. It said that the MP’s decision was in “total defiance of the party’s resolutions” to oppose the CAB/CAA. Following this, Kenye resigned from the post of the party’s secretary general, which was announced through a press conference. He was later suspended by the party in January this year.

Also Read: NPF serves show-cause notices to 2 MPs for voting in favour of CAA

Addressing the media at the secretary general’s chamber in Kohima, Kikon justified the party’s decision of applying “different yardstick” to both MPs as “fair and just”, despite them voting in favour of the CAB/CAA, as Pfoze was “misled” by Kenye. Kikon said that in response to the show cause notice issued by the party, Pfoze wrote: “I was constantly in touch with Shri KG Kenye, Secretary general of NPF and honourable MP Rajya Sabha. Both of us were coordinating the flow during the parliament session. I was also made to understand that KG Kenye was in touch with the President of NPF party on the contentious bill”.

Explaining futher, Kikon said that Kenye, who was also the secretary general of the party at that time, misled Pfoze, as prior to the parliamentary session, the party president, over a telephonic conversation had “advised” Kenye not to go against the party’s CEC resolution of opposing the Bill.

Also Read: Why Nagaland MP Kenye favoured CAA; resigned from party leadership

“Dr Lorho was misled as if the party agreed to vote for the bill. Therefore, the same yardstick cannot be given to the person who has been misle,d and the person who propagated for that”, said Kikon. He added that the other reason for not suspending Pfoze was that Pfoze “regretted” and “apologised” to the party in case his “action has caused misunderstanding and breached in the principles, decisions and discipline of the part”.

Kikon went on to say that the party’s decision was “fair and just” as it had followed Article 14 of the party’s constitution which describes the four types of punishment: Warning, Removal [from party leadership], Suspension, and Expulsion. He said that Lorho was served a “stern warning” under the category 1 — Warning.

Also Read: Nagaland: NPF suspends lone RS MP KG Kenye for favouring CAA

Kikon clarified that Kenye fell within the third category —Suspension — as his resignation from the post of secretary general was “voluntary” and was not removed from the party leadership. While the two MPs were served different punishments for the same offence, Kikon said that the party has made the decision after “proper application of mind and wisdom” and that it was the “right judgement”.

Kikon replaced Kenye as NPF’s secretary general in January this year after Kenye resigned from the party leadership. In November last year, Kenye was re-elected as secretary general of the party, while Kikon was elected as one of the party’s vice president during the party’s general convention. Prior to the convention, Kikon served as the party’s spokesperson.

Also Read: Nagaland: Shürhozelie Liezietsu re-elected as president of NPF