Guwahati: Over a month long uncertainty over the future of Nagaland govern-ment led chief minister T R Zeliang came to an end on Thursday with the government sailing through the trial strength in the floor of the state Assembly.
The floor test was necessitated in the wake of a group of MLAs from the ruling Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) raising a banner of revolt against Zeliang demanding his removal on the ground of being a weak
leader.All 59 members of the 60-member House barring the Speaker and including the eight opposition Congress MLAs voted in favour of Zeliang in the special emergent one-day session of the state assembly covened by the Governor of Nagaland in Kohima.
“The truth has prevailed,” Zeliang said immediately after the proceedings ended in his favour. The motion moved by chief minister was put to vote through voting slips. Zeliang also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP – apart from members of the state
assembly – for their stand taken to ensure political stability in the hill state. Zeliang earlier alleged that the dissident group of NPF MLAs were backed by former chief minister and NPF leader Neiphiu Rio who was elected to the Lok Sabha in the last Parliamentary polls.
The ruling NPF has 38 members in the House, while the opposition Congress has eight MLAs. The BJP (8), NCP (1), JD-U (1) are also part of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) led by the NPF. The eight Independent MLAs are also with the ruling coalition.
The dissident NPF legislators had projected industry minister G Kaito Aye as their leader instead of Zeliang. Several ministers of the Zeliang cabinet had either resigned or were dropped in the past five weeks for their involvement in dissident activities.
Earlier last week, the dissident group of NPF MLAs had approached the Election Commission claiming to be the “original” NPF. The EC, however, refused to give any interim order recognizing any of them and instead fixed February 16 as the last date for rival NPF factions to submit their respective submissions and suppor-ting documents.
Participating in the discussion, dissident MLA G Kaito Aye said the crisis arose because of the internal difference within the NPF and there was no need for holding a session for trial of strength. The NPF had the mandate of the people and the problem should have been solved either by the NPF Party President or Leader of the NPF Legislature Party outside the House, but it did not happen, he said. “We have nothing to go against our own government and we do support the motion of confidence,” he said.
Earlier, in his maiden address to the House, the Governor reminded the elected members that they have been elected by the people to work for the welfare of the common and and not to fight. “This August House must, therefore, unite for serving the people, instead of dividing themselves into warring groups that fight each other for positions of power alone,” he added.
( with inputs from PTI)
