Reacting to the news on formation of a parallel NPF party in Dimapur, NPF president Dr. Shürhozelie Tuesday pointed out that: “anyone who plays outside this constitution is illegal and unconstitutional”. In a press release, Dr. Shürhozelie made it clear that “NPF is a very old regional, recognized and registered party with the Election Commission of India (ECI). NPF has a constitution that has been duly approved by the ECI. Anyone who plays outside this constitution is illegal and unconstitutional”.
Dr. Shürhozelie said that he had been maintaining silence and still believed “good sense would prevail in due course of time”. Taking note of his “so called removal from the post of NPF president” Dr. Shürhozelie said that he had to clarify on the issue.
Dr. Shürhozelie said that he was grateful to his “old friend Noke Wangnao for forgiving” him on his suspension. “I am sure he also realised that though he was the centre of the storm in the first crisis, I protected him of his office, his position and his portfolio. In the present crisis also, I have protected him when CM axed his next persons. He is an old man and was a man of integrity. How could he easily allow himself to be used by others as plaything. He should continue to give praises to his mentor but he has no point to feel bad with me. Because we are still friends”, Dr. Shürhozelie said.
He also urged his “honourable friends in the dissident camp to understand the reality and take decision early”. “They know that they cannot remain in that camp for all time to come. I want to apply first come rule and I will appeal to the Chief Minister to accommodate them comfortably”, he added. Stating that there was a time for everything, Dr. Shürhozelie made it known that they have kept the “doors open with open mind”.
He said: “every game has its own rule. For football, the playfield has its own boundary. For boxing, it has its own ring. Any goal scored outside the boundary cannot be counted. Nobody can win boxing by stabbing others from behind outside the ring”. In this regard, Dr. Shürhozelie said that when the final whistle is blown, the game would be over “but they cannot leave the party as per the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution”.
With regard to the political imbroglio, Dr. Shürhozelie said he wanted to make it known to the public that the dissident group had been spreading wild rumours and also publishing wrong propaganda in the daily newspapers. He said when such statements are published, it is always found to be false. Referring to the fable of “The cowboy and the Tiger”, he said “the dissident group may shout again and again but please make sure that they are doing it to confuse the public. They are only playing from outside the playfield”.
NPF meeting: A joint meeting of the NPF central, division and frontal organizations and cell office bearers was held at the Conference Hall of the NPF Central Hqs., Kohima Tuesday. In a statement, NPF press bureau said that the division presidents, frontals, and central office bearers deliberated the “unfortunate dispute arising out of some of the party’s own legislators for reasons best known to them”.
At the meeting, NPF said that all party chiefs representing different levels of the NPF statewide, expressed resentment and “vociferously expressed dismay at the architects of the imbroglio over the undesirable acts and divisive policy of the dissident group, with the intention to cause multidimensional and undue embarrassment and harm to the people”. The party described that the “whole intention and exercise” was a sheer attempt to “split the party and form a new party and nothing more”.
NPF stated that the party officials at the meeting observed and termed the appointments of new office bearers “as a mockery to the party’s principle and ideology and laid down rules of the Constitution”. Meanwhile, NPF said that the house reiterated to uphold the November 26, 2014 NPF General Convention resolution No. 5 to extent unflinching support to the leadership of the chief minister T.R. Zeliang and NPF president, Dr Shürhozelie Liezetsu.
NPF said that though the meeting was convened at a very short notice, those who attended meeting includes—presidents of nine NPF divisions, host of central office bearers, all NPF frontals that included the women wing, youth wing, farmers wing, life membership cell and minority wing.
Thursday, February 19, 2026