Nagaland Governor Turns Down Request of Trial of Strength

NEW DELHI: Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has rejected the request of the Cabinet to hold a special session of the state Assembly for a trial of strength tomorrow.

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang-led cabinet recommended this move in order to show support for the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government, in its current leadership of Zeliang.

Both the factions of the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF)- the present one under Zeliang and the dissident group seeking the leadership in G. Kaito Aye, are trying to win the support of the Governor as well as the Centre.

Interestingly, both the camps are claiming to have a majority and had met the Governor in this regard.

On the one hand, NPF’s President Shurhozelie Liezietsu backed Zeliang’s request to the Governor of summoning a special session in order to resolve the present imbroglio, on the other, the dissident group, claiming to have 25 legislators, including 22 NPF and three BJP, also met Acharya last week to discuss the formation of a new government under Aye’s leadership terming the present one as the “minority government”.

It is pertinent to mention here that out of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, Naga People’s Front has a total of 38 members supported by pre-poll alliance partners – four BJP and one JD(U) while one NCP and 8 Independent MLAs are also extending outside support to it. Opposition Congress has 8 members.

Further, NPF President made it clear that the alliance partners of NPF-led DAN cannot extend support to the dissident group as they are pre-poll ally of NPF.

Also, claiming that the government could only be formed by the “official” party and not by a group with vested interest, NPF members from within chief minister T.R. Zeliang’s camp asserted that the DAN as an alliance was formed by political parties and not by elected members , also pointing out that BJP was a pre-poll alliance partner of the NPF.

However, both the camps are leaving no stone unturned to get the support of the BJP-led NDA government.

The dissident group members, including former chief minister Neiphiu Rio and chief ministerial candidate G. Kaito Aye returned from Delhi unable to meet any of the top brass of the BJP.

Even the governing NPF had to meet the same fate.

Zeliang along with president of his faction of NPF Shurhozelie Liezietsu also reached home high and dry after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh and other top leaders of the BJP had refused to meet them as well.

However, both the camps also said that the BJP does not want to meddle in the internal crisis of their party.

Both the factions further made it clear that no matter whicHever faction gets the majority, the party would remain with the ruling DAN.

Earlier, Minister for PHE Noke Wangnao and another NPF MLA Imkong L Imchen were suspended from the party for their anti-party activities, a day after two other ministers were sacked along with the suspension of five other MLAs from primary membership of ruling NPF.

Altogether, the NPF has suspended a total of three ministers, five parliamentary secretaries and one MLA from the party.