Undaunted, NPF readies red carpet
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 27 2011: Manipur State unit of Naga People's Front has taken up all relevant measures to ensure Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's participation in the launching ceremony of the political organisation at Senapati district headquarters.

Speaking to newspersons at Senapati town today, NPF state unit president G Gaingam said as announced earlier, Rio will arrive at the district headquarters at 11 am tomorrow to attend the event.

Reiterating that all relevant preparations for the Senapati event have been finalised, he also affirmed that the Nagaland Chief Minister will be accorded a hearty welcome.

Elaborate arrangement has been made at the Senapati Public Ground with temporary construction of a shelter aimed at accommodating a massive gathering, Gaingam said while adding that hundreds of NPF supporters will be part of the welcoming party holding the NPF flag and banners.

Meanwhile, an NPF Manipur unit statement issued by its political Affairs secretary Ningreingam Ruivah has reacted strongly to the May 26 joint statement of the all political party, with the exception of BJP, meeting.

Pointing out that democracy is based on the wish of the people, ruivah said going against the wishes of the people is not only undemocratic but is against human rights.

While reminding that aspiration of the Naga people to be under a single administrative unit had been upheld/endorsed by all Naga organisations, he also dismissed as 'most unfounded' the all political party meeting labelling NPF constitution a threat to the existence of other neighbouring States.

The tendency to give a communal tag to the nomenclature 'Naga' at every opportunity is highly provocative and undesirable and playing the communal card must be henceforth stopped to promote harmony among the different communities, the statement suggested.

Further pointing out that reference to Article X(A)(1) of the NPF Constitution is a baseless allegation since the same has been amended by the Sixth Amendment of 2009 and 'any citizen of the country who subscribes to the principles of the Naga people's Front shall be eligible for primary membership of the Party' as per Article XI(A)(1), it also iterated that the erstwhile nomenclature of Nagaland People's Front has been changed to Naga People's Front by the said amendment.

It also cautioned that branding of NPF as being communal is an affront to the Election Commission of India which has recognised NPF as a regional party and posed to whether political parties of Manipur consider regional political organisations such as AIDMK and DMK in Tamil Nadu and Puduchery, and the JMM in Orissa and Jharkhand States, as communal parties.

with regard to the joint statement that opening of NPF unit in Manipur would lead to instability and spread communal disharmony, Ruivah said 'nothing can be farther from truth' .

"In fact it is such myopic attitude and opposition to democratic rights of the tribals that creates instability and communal disharmony in the State of Manipur" .

It is most unfortunate that the dominant community is Manipur have never made any attempts to understand other communities and to recognise they have their own aspirations based on their history and situation, the NPF statement expressed while adding that the dominant community used their brute majority to suppress the tribal communities and have always imposed their will on the minorities.

Comment