[dropcap]T[/dropcap]imes indeed are changing, for the better or for the worse (for some)? The recent issue that is doing its rounds in the hallowed Nagaland Legislative Assembly caught my attention even more as it appeared with a riveting caption “3 NCP MLAs in the dock” in one of the local dailies. When I did some digging up on the case and similar instances, I stumbled upon the “Tenth schedule of the Indian constitution” founded by the ‘52nd amendment act 1985’ and subsequently reviewed by the “91st amendment act 2003” Applicable from 1st January 2004 which states,
CASES OF MERGER “No member will be disqualified from the membership of the House where his original political party merges with another political party and he claims that he and any other members of his original political party have become members of the other political party or of the newly formed political party provided not less than two third of the members of the legislature party concerned have agreed to such merger.”Here the matter is concerning the “House”, with regard to case of rightful merger of 3 among the 4 Nationalist Congress Party MLAs which is way above the 2/3rd majority as compared to 66/67% the present percentage stands at 75%. These events and precedence are what strikes me the most as, if and when the whims of some overzealous people demanding the disqualification of the 3 said elected members of the NCP are to be analyzed , may we remind them about the very same instances in the past , where there was no such action initiated and the change of guard was as smooth as silk, be it the Nagaland Peoples Front though with only 19 MLAs getting the majority as compared to Congress’ 21, after the 2003 elections with the support of 3 Janata Dal(United)(JD ‘U’) , 1 Samata Party, 4 Independents ,7 Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) and 5 Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), MLAs. While 7 congress members including the present Chief Minister caused a split and merged with the NPF following the 4 NDM members splitting and merging with the NPF. The JD(U) and Samata Party merging also lead to the 3 members again Merging with the NPF. Coming closer to the recent past may we be reminded that post 2008 elections , Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) formed the government with the help of 6 Independent MLAs and 2 each Members from the BJP and NCP respectively , while on May 2009 the BJP MLAs merged with the NPF, the 2 NCP MLAs followed suit on January 2011 without any hiccups and even retaining cabinet status .
Now the biggest question to be asked is, are we the voters of the largest democracy in the world taken to be so stupid and dumb that people in responsible and powerful positions go on tailoring different yardsticks and rules based on their whims and fancies and are “WE THE PEOPLE” expected to remain as mute spectators? Such random precedence gives a wrong message and it definitely doesn’t seem healthy for our baby state! The same yardstick is to be applied in the present case in the light of the past precedence, as “Honesty is the best policy” and it holds true even in politics. Nagaland, let us for once prove the great philosopher Socrates wrong, when he said “ I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live.”
NB: If need be the former speaker will need to advice the present one with regard to such matters, as under the former’s watch many such mergers went through peacefully without a sound.
Chumbemo M Patton, Former Student Leader, New Delhi.
