Kohima, February 17 (MTNews): Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) candidate 14 Southern Angami-I sitting MLA Medo Yhokha on Friday said it is sad that the Kezoltsa issue between the Southern Angami and Mao community is being portrayed as a political issue.
In the backdrop of the issue being used as a political plank by some candidates in the region, Yhokha in his address at a campaign in Phesama village said Kezoltsa issue is not a new issue and it should be resolved peacefully through the Naga customary court. He underscored that the government has its own limitations under the privileges granted by the constitution.
He said during the last two years, not much could be done due to the pandemic, which affected everyone including governments worldwide. “Whatever our government could execute for our constituency during the last tenure, it does not end there. We have done with long term vision, for sustainability and posterity,” he said, adding that the government is keen on building the area into an education hub and a vibrant tourist destination.
He stated that the pre-poll coalition’s focus is mainly on youth, skill development and entrepreneurship, farmers and micro-financing. Maintaining that the party’s focal point has changed from women empowerment to gender equity, Yhokha asserted that it now stood for gender equity. He said women are leading in various fields but for politics, and seeing the need to include women in decision making, the NDPP has issued tickets to aspiring women candidates.
While thanking the villagers for their support and cooperation during the last tenure of the government, Yhokha said he was not here today to speak ill of his opponents to score points but rather to solicit their votes. “I am not here to ask you for power or to demand respect. In fact, don’t call me ‘sir’ when you meet me. Treat me as a brother, friend, and call me by my name. I want to be able to discuss as a peer on the local issues facing us,” he said.
On the vexed Naga political issue, he said it is a “process” and elected representatives as facilitators remain committed on pursuing the issue forward to a logical conclusion.