Nagaland: Congress leader K Therie criticizes NPF–NDPP merger, calls it 'surrender to corruption and Hindutva’

Senior Congress leader and AICC member K. Therie has launched a scathing critique of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), accusing both of abandoning their founding principles and surrendering to corruption and communal politics.

Recalling the historical significance of the cock symbol, Therie noted that it once stood for integrity, patriotism, and non-violence, echoing the ideals of the pioneering Naga leaders who submitted the 1929 Naga Hills Memorandum. He alleged, however, that the symbol’s image has now been “tarnished” by leaders who have compromised their values.

According to Therie, both NPF and NDPP are indistinguishable today, describing them as “divorcées” who share the same high command and a common culture of corruption. He accused them of being anti-Christian, anti-solution, and anti-Naga while collaborating with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He further charged that the BJP, “in collusion with the NPF government,” bore responsibility for the recent violence in Manipur, where Christian women suffered brutal atrocities. Despite this, he claimed, the NPF continued its support for the BJP-led government.

Therie warned that the recent merger of NPF with NDPP has left the ruling alliance entirely at the mercy of the Chief Minister, granting him what he described as “absolute power to corrupt absolutely.” He expressed concern that Nagaland’s legislators were taking orders from “intruders,” leading to widespread suppression, multiple taxation, extortion, and exploitation of the people.

“The beautiful cock symbol, once respected, now represents anti-Christianity, a collaborator of Hindutva ideology, and one of the most corrupt parties in the nation,” Therie declared.

In closing, the Congress leader urged the Nagaland Legislative Assembly not to leave behind a legacy of “a subverted Nagaland,” stressing that the younger generation deserves to inherit “peace, dignity, and grace to live.”