Itanagar: A team of Naga People’s Front (NPF), which arrived here on Thursday, has agreed to the intervention of Students’ Union Movement of Arunachal (SUMA) that the Nagaland-based regional party would not spread its wings into Arunachal Pradesh for the time being.
The party had announced to float its candidates during a news conference at the Arunachal Press Club here.
The NPF had said it would float its candidates during the ensuing Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
However, as the 12-member NPF team, including its secretary general K G Kenye, vice-presidents T L Meri and S Shingnyu, general secretaries Kruzakie Kelio and S Akho Leyri, women wing working president K Sangchu, including Nagaland police personnel and drivers were leaving the press club area, they were confronted by members of SUMA.
Commotion followed as SUMA leaders have been opposing the entry of NPF into Arunachal.
During a meeting between the two groups later, as claimed by SUMA, the NPF team tendered apology for entering the state without valid permit or without prior official intimation.
The two groups later decided that NPF would not take up any political activity within Arunachal till reaching an agreeable solution to the issue raised by SUMA.
SUMA said in no uncertain terms that they would not allow NPF which stands only for the cause of the Nagas into Arunachal but would consent if any party reflects the regional character of other North Eastern states and vouches for their cause, as informed by its president Biri Tabing. The representatives of NPF and SUMA held a threadbare discussion at a hotel and came to the conclusion.
The SUMA team later at the Press Club informed that the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) would also face its ire if it ties up directly with the NPF for the elections in the state. SUMA would not oppose if the PPA joins a regional forum of political parties.
The SUMA team came to the press club to announce the decisions at an impromptu press conference. But, when they arrived at the venue another press conference was on. Impatient SUMA members started verbally abusing journalists including woman scribes.
Though SUMA were allowed to respond to a few questions but the press conference did not take place.
However, Tabing later tendered a written apology for the unbecoming behaviour of a few of its members after the Press Club president Chopa Cheda viewed the matter with concern and demanded an explanation.
Later, the members of APC and Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists unanimously decided that such unbecoming behaviour by any organisation with the media persons would be taken as an insult to the media and the case would be decided according to its merit.
Meanwhile, the NPF team was externed out from the state capital Itanagar at the direction of the magistrate.
According to police sources, case was registered and the Nagaland team leaders who were produced before a local magistrate ordered that they should be externed out as per law. Police executed the order by seeing them off at the Hollongi check gate this evening before confirming it to the media.
The NPF leaders, including Kenye, a VIP under security cover, had reportedly arrived here to hold discussion with their Arunachal counterparts and address a press conference on Friday.
But the Nagaland team members were without any inner line permit, mandatorily needed for any outsider under the Bengal Eastern Regulation, 1873 and without intimating the state administration or Capital police about the VIP movement under security cover. The police action was taken for violating the ILP. (UNI)
