Dimapur, June 18 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today said the debate on the Naga political issue, which Naga People’s Front (NPF) chief Dr. Shurhozelie accepted recently, is the contentious 16-point Agreement. However, the NPCC said the Urban Development and Higher Education minister has to clarify whether his accepting the challenge is at his individual level or at the NPF’s.
The NPCC’s Media cell explained in the statement – “The topic in question for open debate is the Naga political issue with particular reference to 16-points agreement. Being the best possible arrangement to salvage the Nagas from total annihilation at that point of time, the NPCC had staunchly defended and owned the full responsibility on 16-point agreement”
On the other hand, the opposition said, the NPF had ‘vehemently condemned the Congress on this subject.’ For that reason, this topic needs to be brought to a logical conclusion first. “After all, the Naga political issue is not the monopoly of the regional party,” the NPCC told the NPF.
Nonetheless, the NPCC said, before the actual debate commences, Dr. Shürhozelie must first clarify whether the acceptance of the challenge was at “personal level” or at party level.
“If he had accepted the challenge, why had he failed to come out with a response in black and white on questions posed by the NPCC? It appears that the NPCC’s challenge on healthy political debate in print media for wide publicity was misconstrued as a challenge for an open debate.”
The Congress expressed exasperation for Home Minister Imkong L Imchen’s ‘repeated off-track statements’ and for which the NPCC had thrown the challenge.
“The NPCC’s call for healthy political debate was with a focus on future road-map and its applied theory for solution, based on history and philosophy,” the opposition said.
The NPF is yet to make it public “its achievements on Naga political issue” as demanded by the NPCC. “This is an obligatory pre-requisite before the open debate proposed by him is set into motion. Like the NPCC, the NPF also should first publish all its achievements in the print media for wide publicity. Let the NPF also make a public statement on Shillong Accord as charged by the NPCC.”
The Congress also accused the Urban Development and Higher Education minister of being unable to call elections to the Urban Local Bodies. “And as a face-saving exercise he has been touring the districts to elicit the opinion of the non-government organizations,” the NPCC said.
The minister of accused of being responsible for the “flopped” development projects in Kohima town under the Urban Development department and under his ‘stewardship” the higher education including Nagaland University “are in total chaos.”
When he had failed to tackle these state subjects directly under his control (except NU), the NPCC queried, what moral right and authority does he have to debate on ‘other topics.’
On the Dr. Shurhozelie commenting on ‘going back to dig old wounds’, the Congress said the NPF president may recollect “as to who had opened the Pandora’s Box on Naga political issue and 16-points agreement.”
“Dr. Shürhozelie, as an elderly man seems to be trying to take the role of level-playing between the Congress and his own party, the NPF, proving that he did not approve the approach some of his own party men had adopted,” the NPCC added.
The NPCC’s Media cell explained in the statement – “The topic in question for open debate is the Naga political issue with particular reference to 16-points agreement. Being the best possible arrangement to salvage the Nagas from total annihilation at that point of time, the NPCC had staunchly defended and owned the full responsibility on 16-point agreement”
On the other hand, the opposition said, the NPF had ‘vehemently condemned the Congress on this subject.’ For that reason, this topic needs to be brought to a logical conclusion first. “After all, the Naga political issue is not the monopoly of the regional party,” the NPCC told the NPF.
Nonetheless, the NPCC said, before the actual debate commences, Dr. Shürhozelie must first clarify whether the acceptance of the challenge was at “personal level” or at party level.
“If he had accepted the challenge, why had he failed to come out with a response in black and white on questions posed by the NPCC? It appears that the NPCC’s challenge on healthy political debate in print media for wide publicity was misconstrued as a challenge for an open debate.”
The Congress expressed exasperation for Home Minister Imkong L Imchen’s ‘repeated off-track statements’ and for which the NPCC had thrown the challenge.
“The NPCC’s call for healthy political debate was with a focus on future road-map and its applied theory for solution, based on history and philosophy,” the opposition said.
The NPF is yet to make it public “its achievements on Naga political issue” as demanded by the NPCC. “This is an obligatory pre-requisite before the open debate proposed by him is set into motion. Like the NPCC, the NPF also should first publish all its achievements in the print media for wide publicity. Let the NPF also make a public statement on Shillong Accord as charged by the NPCC.”
The Congress also accused the Urban Development and Higher Education minister of being unable to call elections to the Urban Local Bodies. “And as a face-saving exercise he has been touring the districts to elicit the opinion of the non-government organizations,” the NPCC said.
The minister of accused of being responsible for the “flopped” development projects in Kohima town under the Urban Development department and under his ‘stewardship” the higher education including Nagaland University “are in total chaos.”
When he had failed to tackle these state subjects directly under his control (except NU), the NPCC queried, what moral right and authority does he have to debate on ‘other topics.’
On the Dr. Shurhozelie commenting on ‘going back to dig old wounds’, the Congress said the NPF president may recollect “as to who had opened the Pandora’s Box on Naga political issue and 16-points agreement.”
“Dr. Shürhozelie, as an elderly man seems to be trying to take the role of level-playing between the Congress and his own party, the NPF, proving that he did not approve the approach some of his own party men had adopted,” the NPCC added.
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