Nagaland's original and India's second oldest regional party, NPF, may opt for major revamp

Nirendra Dev*

All eyes will be on October 21 when Nagaland's original regional party -- and incidentally country's second oldest regional outfit the Naga People's Front after DMK, will hold its general convention at Kohima.

Incumbent party supremo Shurhozelie Liezietsu is likely to call it a day and hang up his boots. Well, he is 86 and so that's the only good reason for him to relinquish the prized post.

The 1936-born veteran leader also served as the 11th Chief Minister of Nagaland from February 22, 2017 to July 19, 2017.

In fact, it is said he remained 'reluctant' and wanted to stay away from the responsibility of ruling the state but in February 2017 was compelled to come up as a 'stopgap' arrangement after a mega crisis gripped the state government following large scale protests against women reservation in the urban local bodies.

The then Chief Minister T R Zeliang had to bow out of office and despite attempts made by certain quarters Neiphiu Rio, then Lok Sabha MP, could not make it to the post.

Veteran Shurhozelie has seen many ups and downs in electoral politics and in the present assembly, NPF has merely two MLAs. His former legislator son Khriehu Liezietsu also lost February 27 election to Dr Kekhrielhoulie Yhome of NDPP, a party which is now practically run by none other than present Chief Minister Rio.

In the late eighties and the 1990s, Shurhozelie along with two other regional stalwarts Late Vizol Angami and Late Vamuzo Phesao made a great triumvirate.

Of the three regionalists of the 1990s - Vizol Angami, Vamuzo Phesao and Shurhozelie - all three had distinct virtues and characteristics.

Shurhozelie used to be the craftisest of the three while Vamuzo had a flamboyant style and was the most ambitious. Vizol was of course the idealist Naga politician and who also has the distinction of sacking his onetime deputy chief minister S C Jamir from his UDF cabinet.

Both Vizol and Vamuzo were his seniors and so Shurhozelie remained overshadowed. But when it came to real politicking, Shurhozelie was the brain behind the trio.

After many years, when he became Chief Minister replacing T R Zeliang for a brief period; even a hardcore pragmatic politician Neiphiu Rio had told me in Delhi, "It's all destiny ....he had the crown in his luck".

Shurhozelie has been an excellent debater in the assembly too. As Jamir and Vamuzo usually indulged in personal attack against each other and another former CM K L Chishi used his eloquent and unique sarcastic flavour against opponents, Shurhozelie would deliver the real knockout punch.

In 2022, he lost 21 sitting legislators when the MLAs led by former CM T R Zeliang quit his camp and embraced the Rio-led NDPP. A typical 'fighting cock' that Shurhozelie is, even after losing 21 MLAs - he remained a defiant and fighting old war horse. He emphatically said, the four MLAs who did not desert him are the 'real heroes' of the NPF. One of them was of course his son.

During assembly debates in the 1990s one statement he used to often say and I remember it was - "You cannot teach new tricks to old dogs".

The statement referred to frequent defectors - a menace Nagaland politics was synonymous for years. Paradoxically the old defection game - political head hunting hit Shurhozelie even at the prime age of 85. The fact of the matter is that the likes of T R Zeliang and Neiphiu Rio himself have done business with Congress and lately touted themselves as the best of 'regionalist fighters'.

In August 2022, I met Shurhozelie in his residence at Kohima. Of the political stuff he said, one striking point was : "Do not worry...we will wake up on time". The NPF chief had said when asked to comment whether his party will soon withdraw support to the Neiphiu Rio government.

Maybe later on, he regretted the decision not to withdraw support to the NDPP-BJP regime. He had many success stories and yes, at times in politics and also in life; success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure..

During the 2023 general elections under his leadership there were no NPF ticket takers from onetime regional bastion, Kohima district, except his son. And he also lost. There was speculation about his resignation on moral ground but Shurhozelie did not.

Shurhozelie also stated that it's time for 'younger leadership to take over' and hence it is expected the baton could pass on to one of his younger colleagues.

Who will be the genuine real regionalist now to succeed him? Speculation is rife that it could be five-time sitting MLA and a former minister Azo Nienu. But a party insider said, "Our party symbol is Cock....and hence we know it will be wrong to count chickens before the eggs are in the nest".

Shurhozelie's party NPF is a BJP ally in Manipur but he surprised many when he did not turn up for July 18 NDA bash though he was personally invited by BJP national president J P Nadda.

Shurhozelie is set to call it a day at a time when women participation in the polls is in debate. The Nagaland government is now okay with the women quota in urban local bodies and parliament has passed the quota bill for state legislatures and Lok Sabha.

He has stated many times that women should also be given 'equal opportunities' but this is something that remains a pending pledge by his party.