Rising People’s Party (RPP) has accused the Neiphiu Rio-led PDA government of twice fooling the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO). In a statement, RPP vice-president Vitho Zao and general secretary Amai Chingkhu alleged that after ensuring that the issue of Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) was scuttled, the NDPP/BJP coalition orchestrated the latest outrage whereby the writ of ENPO was undermined in the form of NDPP/BJP candidates filing their nominations in the various urban local bodies (ULBs) of eastern Nagaland.
RPP said the genesis of betrayal by NDPP/BJP coalition started when Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) had issued a directive whereby the state government was supposed to give its opinion on the FNT Draft Working Paper (DWP) before December 31, 2023. However, RPP alleged that the state government sat on the DWP according to ENPO press release in April 2024.
RPP said that an enraged ENPO exposed the policy of Rio’s government through various press statements while terming ENPO decision to abstain from the Lok Sabha polls as “historic”. It also asserted that the latest alleged betrayal by the Rio government was nothing but an act of retribution by NDPP/BJP coalition that was utterly humiliated by Supongmeren Jamir’s victory in the Lok Sabha election.
RPP mentioned that it was apparent that Rio had misled the ENPO people twice, “doubly aided by party president Chingwang Konyak”. It said that Chingwang, a former ENPO talk team member, could have stopped NDPP candidates from filing their nominations, but it was apparent that he chose not to. RPP condemned the divide and rule policy of NDPP-BJP coalition, which has utterly humiliated ENPO and made to lose credibility in the eyes of Naga people.