EMN
DIMAPUR, JUNE 18
THE recent announcement of three Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislators from Nagaland has come into question from both allies in the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland and the NCP itself. The NCP’s high command has also reportedly issued suspension orders against the legislators from the party.
The NCP has stated that the speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has sought confirmation. Likewise, the Naga People’s Front (NPC) has dencounced the legislators “ill-advised apolitical course with their party’s status not clear.”
The NCP and the NPF issued separate press releases on Wednesday, June 18. NCP legislators Imtilemba Sangtam, Dr. TM Lotha, and Mmhonlumo Kikon recently announced a ‘merger’ with the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). The merger is under question, secretary general of the NPF KG Kenye stated in the ruling party’s press release.
“Shri, SR Kohli, honorary permanent secretary of the NCP party at New Delhi, by an office order dated 17th June 2014 has communicated the order of suspension of all the three MLAs from the party. As the national parties of NCP and BJP have not merged, Shri SR Kohli has requested the honorable speaker not to accept the claim of merger of these three MLAs with the BJP,” Kenye stated.
According to the NPF, the MLAs “appear to have taken an ill-advised political course with their party’s status not clear that may lead to serious consequences on the membership of the MLAs.”
Likewise, the NCP’s state leadership issued a press release on Wednesday, stating that they face ‘disqualification before the speaker of the state assembly speaker.’ “The speaker is yet to accept their claim of merger and asked them to produce documents like resolutions of the NCP national party that supported the merger of NCP with BJP,” MLA of the NCP L Khumo stated in the press release. “The speaker has also asked the state unit presidents of NCP and BJP to cite legal authorities demonstrating their competence to propose and accept merger with each other when the national party presidents of both parties are unaware of any such merger.”
According to the MLA, the three legislators are “now in a tight spot.” If the NCP president says that that there was no merger “then all these three NCP MLAs will face disqualification from the membership of the twelfth assembly,” Khumo stated.
