Kohima, Feb 24 : The Opposition Congress has cautioned the Nagaland People’s Front, the main constituent of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, that the ongoing Naga peace process would be hampered if it continued to indulge in “immoral and unprincipled” politics.

PCC president K.V. Pusa, Congress Legislature Party leader Chingwang Konyak and former chief minister K.L. Chishi warned the DAN government that the peace process would be affected if the party continued to indulge in “dirty politics with money”.

The statement has come against the backdrop of four of its members resigning from the Assembly and defecting to the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF).

“This will affect the peace process adversely,” Chishi said today.

Pusa said such activities would derail the peace process. He said the party would discuss the issue of offering support to the Naga consultative meeting to be held from March 5 to 7.

The state government has convened a meeting of all Naga leaders from abroad and from Naga-inhabited areas to deliberate on how to take forward the stalled peace process.

But the Congress leaders have warned that it might even pull out of the meeting in the event of the DAN government’s “cash for MLAs” scam.

“We should be putting our heads together for this issue between the government of India and the Naga people,” the former chief minister said. But he regretted the ruling party was indulging in dirty politics, rather, ignoring the main issue confronting all Nagas.

Pusa said keeping in the mind the importance of Naga political issue, the Congress in Nagaland has been supportive and co-operative with the state government.

He indicated withdrawal of support to the DAN over the Naga issue, but reiterated the Congress’s commitment to an early solution to the Naga problem. He said the party would continue to strive for taking the peace process ahead.

The PCC president said the party had been constantly apprising the central leaders of the need to expedite the Naga peace process.

“Recently we had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, AICC president Sonia Gandhi and home minister P. Chidambaram and requested them to expedite the ongoing Naga political talks,” Pusa said.

“We will take a back seat in supporting the DAN on the Naga issue,” the PCC president said.

CLP leader Konyak said the DAN government was dragging its feet on the Naga issue.

Chishi said the DAN government, which had said, would be a facilitator to the Naga peace process has become facilitator to corruption and defection.