Teitui Hairan, a Zeliang Naga from the picturesque village of Benreu in Peren, recalls the day when the wind blew so strong across the Jalukie Government Higher Secondary School ground that even the tent erected was uprooted. “Villagers later said the strong disruptive wind was God’s sign to the people that a storm was brewing between the two big leaders who were sharing the stage as friends,” Hairan said. The event was an election campaign rally at Jalukie town of Peren constituency in 2013. Neiphiu Rio, the then-chief minister and TR Zeliang, the incumbent chief minister, were both with the Naga People’s Front then. Four years later, the two Naga leaders are leading the battle for the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly but for two different regional parties. Neiphiu Rio, since his misadventure at the Centre which began in 2014 when he vacated the chief ministerial chair to become MP Lok Sabha, is the chief ministerial face for the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). Zeliang, emerging a survivor after getting himself reinstated in the CM’s chair, is again the top name for NPF which faces a stiff challenge from the BJP-NDPP alliance in the February 27 election. And throughout the campaign period for the February elections, both leaders have reportedly dedicated more time to ridiculing each other than highlighting their parties' plans for ushering in development in the state reeling under a plethora of issues. Both Zeliang and Rio are contemporaries in Nagaland politics and were with the Indian National Congress. Both served as cabinet ministers under the SC Jamir-led Congress government in Nagaland, before joining the Naga People’s Front (NPF), within a year of each other. Post Congress rule in Nagaland, the political narrative of the state has been dominated by the two leaders - Rio hailing from the majority Angami tribe and Taditui Rangkau Zeliang, from the minority Zeliang tribe. With their rivalry and bitterness for one another out in the open, Rio alleges that “Zeliang spun a web of lies and created chaos”, while Zeliang rebukes Rio for his “destructive politics” and for “confusing people of the state”. On Saturday, addressing a huge NPF rally at the same government higher secondary school ground at Jalukie town, where he had in 2013 weathered the stormy winds with Rio by his side, Zeliang claimed Rio had since 2014 employed various designs to “disturb the functioning of our government”. On February 15, Rio has at the same venue harped on his love for the Zeliang people and how he had considered their leader (TR Zeliang) a good friend. But the facade of bonhomie was brought down as Zeliang levelled one allegation after another at Rio. Playing to the gallery, Zeliang painted Rio as a man who would go to any lengths and to any party in order to grab power. “Rio didn’t want to swim in the swimming pool anymore, he wanted to swim in the ocean,” Zeliang said of the former chief minister’s decision to contest the Lok Sabha elections in the hope of getting a union cabinet berth under the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. Disclosing what he claimed was the reason behind Rio getting rejected by Modi, Zeliang narrated how Rio’s letter to then Congress (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi informing her of his achievement in “finishing off the Nagaland BJP” in 2009, had landed into the hands of the BJP. “Modi would have never made him a minister at the centre. He knows that Neiphiu Rio is the most corrupt chief minister in India,” Zeliang announced to cheers from the crowd. The chief minister said NDPP being a new party should talk about its manifesto and what it plans to do for Nagas. “But everytime, Rio talks of us. NDPP’s manifesto is TR Zeliang and Shurhozelie.” A day later in Dimapur on Saturday, when Neiphiu Rio took the stage as star campaigner of NDPP, he set the tone of his speech saying, "He is my friend but I didn't know he is such a liar." Rio was referring to the allegations that Zeliang had provided false information in the affidavit about his educational qualifications, a refrain heard in almost all his campaign speeches. "How can a leader who lies bring development to Nagaland," Rio questioned. Zeliang too, in his speeches, has been raking up the issue of allegations against Rio of forging educational qualification certificate. Rio claimed the state has been thrown into chaos due to lack of leadership qualities in Zeliang and held him responsible for the municipal election fiasco during which two youths were reportedly killed in police firing. Neiphiu Rio heaped accusations on TR Zeliang and the NPF government for lack of development, corruption, and high deficit in the state exchequer. "TR Zeliang is more focused on keeping his chair," Rio claimed and said that his successor has created a situation where it is the "government versus the people. Nagaland votes on February 27 and the result of the election, along with that of Tripura and Meghalaya, will be declared on March 3.
