NPF to play decisive role, says TR Zeliang

KOHIMA: Former chief minister and chairman of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) TR Zeliang said the 15 NPF candidates contesting the Manipur polls could play an important role in the formation of the next government.
"NPF will be the deciding factor in the formation of the next government," Zeliang said, addressing a huge NPF election rally at Tamenglong in Manipur on Tuesday.The present scenario, he said, indicates that no single party will get the majority in the assembly.
"We will not allow anyone to take away the customary rights of the hill tribes and communities of Manipur. Let us not move backwards, but walk ahead for the welfare of the tribal people of the region," Zeliang said.
He said that while everyone talks about the need for the various tribes of Manipur to come together and take up the causes common to them all, there is no common platform for that. "This is where NPF comes in," he said, adding that the party does not stand for Naga tribals alone but for all tribes and communities of the state's hill areas. "It is heartening to see that there are three Kuki candidates fighting the elections on NPF tickets," he said.
In the meantime, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie said on Wednesday that the Naga People's Front (NPF) is wasting people's time and money in Manipur. The party has fielded 15 candidates in the assembly polls.
"The NPF candidates have no future," Therie said, adding that they can never form the government alone, nor will BJP form an alliance with the party. "This puts the Nagas of Manipur nowhere in the political arena," he said.