The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has issued a clarification distancing itself from the recent remarks made by Rajesh Kumar Sethi, a National Coordinator in the All India Congress Committee (AICC), regarding the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Dimapur.
In a statement issued by its Communications Department, the NPCC said, “The attention of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) is drawn to the article on Inner Line Permit (ILP) written by Shri. Rajesh Kumar Sethi who has also used his designation as National Coordinator of All India Congress Committee, Incharge of Manipur, while putting forth his individual opinion in connection with the imposition of ILP in Dimapur that was published in a section of local news dailies on June 24, 2025.”
The party made it clear that Sethi’s views do not reflect the party’s position, stating:
“NPCC clarifies that the opinion of Shri. Rajesh Kumar Sethi – who is one of the National Coordinators in Minority Department, AICC – does not reflect the opinion of the party.”
It further stressed that “party functionaries irrespective of the designations held are not authorized to speak on policy matters through individual’s perspective, especially on sensitive topics like the ILP issue.”
The NPCC also warned of corrective steps to safeguard the party’s image, stating that it “will initiate appropriate measures to ensure that the party designation is not misused to bring disrepute and lower the image of the party in the eyes of the people.”