Nagas get Poll Dates instead of Final Political Settlement, says Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Therie
By Imna Longchar, TFM Correspondent
Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday (January 18) announced the schedule of Assembly elections in Nagaland. Polling in Nagaland Assembly Elections will take place on February 27, 2023 and the votes will be counted on March 2, 2023. Along with Nagaland, the schedule for Meghalaya and Tripura has also been announced.
The ECI announcement came at a time when most Nagas were expecting a final sealing of the long pending political settlement. Political parties, observers and tribal bodies were indeed expecting that the poll dates would be announced after the final settlement of the Naga issue.
Reacting to the ECI’s announcement, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) chief K Therie said that the announcement of election to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in the midst of “high expectations on implementation of Agreed Political Solution is a “painful slap” to the people of Nagaland. On January 18, the NPCC chief said that every “single voter in the state is being betrayed and that there is nothing greater than betrayal to the Christian society specially in the state of Nagaland”.
Rio never paved the way for early solution to Naga political issue: Therie
Therie recalled what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said eight years ago on the protracted Naga political issue as if it was already “resolved”. He stated that even during the maiden visit of the National general secretary BJP Ram Madhav, to the state in the year 2018 had clearly stated that “election for solution” but it was alleged that the incumbent chief minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio have been making a statement for an early solution but he never paved the way for the same.
In this regard, Therie said that Rio should resign from his office so as to pave the way for the “Naga political solution” to come to a conclusive as desired by the Nagas.
Accusing the Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio and his party including the BJP as “traitors with characters” in the helm of the affairs, Therie also “mockingly” said that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), in Nagaland, should be termed as “United Deceivers’ Alliance” which has been proven now and then as they have deceived the Nagas by telling in every meetings and functions wherever they attended that “we want early solutions” while also every speakers of the 60 NLA legislators do not “stop” in assuring the Naga people that they want early solution while making a commitment that they would pave the way.
Asserting that the Nagas has to beckon a firm decision till the “last hour”, the NPCC chief said that as the neighbouring states-Tripura and Meghalaya have already announced their dates of the elections, it was expected that ECI might say that the election in Nagaland is “deferred” in order to implement the “Agreed Political Solution” to the protracted Naga political issue.
Stating that a “constitutional obligations” to hold the NLA election has been proposed, Therie said that Rio knew it that very well that every political solution” are not going to be implemented but election would be held in time.
“He (Rio) knew it and therefore he has gone to Delhi to please the national BJP leaders for the seat sharing”, Therie later added.