New Delhi: Move over Tamil Nadu, 'politics of resort' is also on in another state of India.
Around 40 rebel MLAs of Nagaland, belonging to the Naga People's Front have been camping in a luxury resort in Kaziranga, Assam, from early this morning. This even as the leadership crisis in the state has reached its climax, with current Chief Minister TR Zeliang on the verge of resignation and party president Shurhozelie Liezietsu who was supposed to take over the Chief Minister's mantle now sidelined. These 40 MLAs are likely to extend support to Neiphiu Rio.
In a 60-member Assembly, 40 means comfortably past the half way mark. This development came about after an apparent patch up between chief minister TR Zeliang and his predecessor Neiphiu Rio. Both the leaders were camping in Delhi and will reach Dimapur on Saturday.
Politics has been on the fast track ever since the Nagaland Tribal Action Committee (NTAC), began their agitation demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister. On Wednesday, 42 MLAs chose party chief Liezietsu as the chief minister-designate. On Thursday, both Zeliang and Governor Acharya moved to Delhi. On Friday, there was a meeting between Minister of state PMO, Dr.Jitendra Singh, BJP leader Ram Madhav and Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio in Delhi. Sources close to the NPF say it is in this meeting that the deal was sealed.
The timeline of the Governor's Delhi visit becomes interesting as he left for the capital around the time when Liezietsu was all set to become the Chief Minister and has returned when the tide has turned in favour of former Chief Minister Rio.
The ruling alliance of the state is called Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, which comprises 48 NPF , 4 BJP and 8 independent MLAs. It appears that former Chief Minister Rio's takeover bid has the blessings of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Earlier, on Thursday, Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang had appealed to the agitating tribal groups to give him 'two-three more days' to step down to ensure smooth transition of power.
Nagaland is in turmoil since January, after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections where 33% of the seats were reserved for women. The NTAC is a coalition which has been at the forefront of the protests against the move to introduce 33 per cent reservation for women in the state’s urban local body (ULB) elections, the polls were later declared null and void due to the tribal unrest.
The tribal organisations demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and branded him as a 'killer' after two persons were allegedly killed in police firing on February 1, to prevent protestors from entering the chief minister’s private residence in Dimapur.
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