Mokokchung, June 14 (MTNews): Dismissing the narrative that some NPF MLAs who very recently merged into NDPP are planning to reverse their decision and go back to NPF, Imkong L Imchen through a press release refuted it as “bizarre speculation” and called it a “wild and outlandish narrative.”
Saying that this “rumour” cannot be farther from the truth, Imchen stated that the narrative has been placed before the public to “confuse and plant seeds of mistrust amongst the elected members” and asserted that the “chapter of merger in Nagaland is closed when 21 NPF MLAs merged into NDPP.”
“As was mentioned time and again, it was either merging NDPP into NPF or NPF to NDPP and as fate would have it, the latter took place and that was the day the chapter of merger closed,” the press release stated.
Imchen also said that, as people’s elected representatives, “the erstwhile NPF Legislature were seriously pondering as to how the Regional forces of the State should be brought together so as to make a stronger facilitation to the ongoing Naga Political Issue since 2020.” He then said that, knowing fully well of the legal and political implications and consequences therein, the merger of 21 NPF MLAs with the NDPP was taken into effect on 29/04/2022.
“Consequent upon which the strength of the NDPP in the house of 60 stands at 42 strong besides Independent and BJP and also the NPF 4 MLAs who are part of the UDA Opposition-less Government. We have taken such decisions after giving serious thoughts and full application of mind. We know what we are doing and what we are going to do. The political navigation we are distinctly clear,” it read.
Imchen reiterated that there was never a whisper, much less a discussion of NDPP MLAs, now which stands at 42, to explore options to merge into NPF or any other political party and that to even speculate and dream about some of the MLAs from the NDPP camp to merge into NPF again at this point of time was nothing more than a wild goose chase.
Imchen concluded that some “vested interest individuals are at play to bring about discord and confusion in the midst of the 42 strong NDPP MLAs but it will not yield to their desired objective as the question of merging with erstwhile NPF does not arise.”