The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has expressed shock at the statement made by NDPP Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, Tokheho Yepthomi advocating revocation of Article 371(A), and condemned it in the strongest possible term. NPCC in a press release also pointed out that the MP in his subsequent rejoinder did not offer an iota of merit in terms of course correction necessitated by his original statement, leading one to wonder as to whether the initiative was at all about course correction or one aimed at adding salt to injury.
It asked the MP to remind himself of the fact that Article 371(A) not only accorded special category status to Nagaland as a state, but also served as an acknowledgement and as a constant reminder to all concerned about the uniqueness of the history of Nagas.
In light of the above, the Congress stated it failed to see any justification that could be considered as even minutely justification enough for the “atrociously ill-advised take of the lawmaker”.
The party ardently hoped that he somehow found his way back to good sense and take back his words with an unconditional apology to the people of Nagaland. NPCC stated that the NDPP’s reaction towards this unfortunate development orchestrated by the latter’s MP was not at all helpful either.
According to the party, it was a textbook lesson in political dereliction, coming from a place of utter ideological bankruptcy.
“It needs to understand that the office that the MP holds and the issue at hand are way too serious and consequential to be brushed aside simply by disowning it,” the release stressed.
NPCC stated that it was a collective tragedy that the NDPP’s anything for power ideology had turned it into a pliable agent of the RSS/BJP’s grand majoritarian scheme for uniformity and singularity across the nation. The party alleged that the NDPP could not even muster enough moral agency to censure and mete out proportionate disciplinary action against its MP for so blatantly taking a stand against the hard fought rights of the people of Nagaland.
NPCC asserted that it would fight tooth and nail for the preservation of the rights of citizens of Nagaland as enshrined under Article 371 (A), and continue to oppose any assault on the plurality and diversity of the nation in general.