Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 20 (EMN): A day after his ministry was unceremoniously dismissed by the Governor of Nagaland, former chief minister Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu blamed Governor PB Acharya of having acted without following any rule or procedure.
“It was illegal on his part, it was unconstitutional on his part,” Liezietsu told media persons at a press conference in the chief minister’s official residence on Thursday. Stating the dismissal was done without any reason, he claimed that even though some of the MLAs were camping in Kaziranga, few people were running the office, the party remained intact and everything was going normally.
He also recalled that the Governor asked him to prove his majority on or before July 15, but said that order was wrong and therefore it was stayed by the court and hearing was taken up on July 17. Liezietsu said the case was heard on July 17 and the judgment was reserved “in order to gain time for the other side”. He said while the judgment was supposed to be delivered on July 18 at 2 o’clock, that was also delayed by one hour. Pointing out that the court had asked the Governor to exercise his mind, the former chief minister sharply maintained that Acharya did not get time to do that as he wrote a letter to Liezietsu immediately at 6 p.m on the same evening asking the latter to prove his majority the next morning.
He said to have explained to the Governor that some of the MLAs who were with him had to go out of Kohima and accordingly asked for consideration for another date.
Liezietsu clarified that he was not informed of any decision by the Governor till the morning of July 19. “But I think as per the first letter, the other side through understanding, had gone to the Assembly,” he said. Stating that the sole agenda of the special emergent session was for the chief minister to move confidence motion while he (Liezietsu) did not move nor had the intention to move for a confidence motion. On the other hand, he further pointed out, there was no one who put forward a no confidence motion as well. In the absence of confidence or no confidence motion, it was a wonder on what basis the NLA speaker was to put the House to vote.
“Governor was said to have been very busy going around talking to so many people. I am very sorry to say that Raj Bhavan has turned to be the BJP central office here at Kohima and the Governor himself is the leader,” Liezietsu asserted, adding, “So I must congratulate him even at this old age, he works very actively to install BJP government in Nagaland”.
Meanwhile, Lieziestu termed the Governor's justification in the papers as “white lies”.
“It is very unbecoming of a Governor to lie like a high school boy taking part in a school debate, you know. We all understand his intention….. Therefore, with this Governor (Acharya), there will be no justice,” Liezietsu asserted.
He went on to add, “The Governor has now installed his favourite ‘Heraka boy’ into the chair so he must be very happy now but it is for the Naga people to understand the intention behind why he (Governor) put back his favourite ‘Heraka boy’ into the chair. I am very sorry, but I have to come out with the facts. Naga people must know the facts, and therefore, even if my government was dismissed, I have no regrets because our people are the judges….”
On the NPF MLAs supporting the newly inducted Chief Minister Zeliang, Liezietsu said they have banded together “to destroy” him but it was to be seen if they could stay together “even for a week”.
He said it was very unfortunate to have “these kind of leaders among the Nagas”, and made a clarion call that everyone must, in their way, try to educate the people that ‘we try to bring reasonable people, God fearing people to the Assembly to serve the state and the people of Nagaland’.
While denying of having any bad feeling towards anybody and that he believes that his group stands for the truth, the veteran regionalist asserted that the current situation is only a ‘temporary setback’.
On the role of the Speaker during the scheduled floor test, he said, “the Speaker has to go by the rules. The Speaker is above the party politics at least in the Assembly, but if he is siding with one group then he is breaking the rules…. Let us see how he will behave tomorrow,”
On his new successor, Liezietsu wasted no polite words and stated Zeliang was a man who ‘speaks something different and acts something different’. He said Zeliang did not seem to have trust in him and so he has also lost trust in him (Zeliang). “This kind of people, I have my doubts whether they can deliver something good for the state,” he retorted.
On the dissident MLAs asking him to resign as party president, Liezietsu said there was no such rule and no provision in the party constitution.
“If in good faith, if they feel that I should resign then I am prepared. But what they are saying is not in good faith, they are saying it with ulterior motives. They feel that as long as I am here as president, they will find it very difficult to make a breakthrough and that is why they want me to resign. But there is no point for me to resign. On my own, I can resign but if anybody wants to force me to do that, I will not do that,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a conflicting turn against the backdrop of the NPF recently severing ties with long time ally BJP, it was learned that NPF president and former chief minister, Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu has affirmed in the party CEC meeting on Thursday to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi on two issues. The two issues, as per reliable party sources, are for Prime Minister Modi courageously supporting and strengthening the on-going ‘Naga Peace Process’ and for checking corruption.
