Kohima: The opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) has served show cause notice to its two MPs viz., KG Kenye and Lorho S Pfoze for voting in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in parliament in defiance of the party resolution not to support the CAB.
The NPF central office, through its Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) on Thursday, served show cause notice to both the MPs for voting in favour of CAB, party sources said on Friday. They have been asked to reply to the show cause notice within seven days, the notice said.
Meanwhile, NPF Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye on Friday said on the receipt of show cause notice, he has tendered his resignation from the post of secretary general of the party.
He claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) strengthens the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and continuation of Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873, because of which he supported the passage of CAB in the parliament.
Kenye voted in favour of the Bill along with NPFs Lok Sabha member from Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituency, Lorho S Pfoze.
Various civil societies and tribal bodies in the state have condemned the MPs for voting in favour of CAB.
Justifying his stand at a press conference here, Kenye said his “priority is the protection of the rights of Nagaland and its people”.
He said that NPF, as a regional political party, had been opposing CAB because it did not have any protection and regularisation of BEFR 1873 and ILP-regime existent in Nagaland.
“Continuation of BEFR Act 1873 had not undergone any enactment in the Parliament, and we feared that it could be easily withdrawn if so decided by a mere resolution of the Union Cabinet like Article 370 and Assam Accord, and, therefore, we were saying we are vulnerable to CAB,” he said.
He claimed the inclusion of ILP and BEFR clauses in the principal act has strengthened the protection of Nagaland state from illegal immigrants and it has given supreme power to the state government to stringently execute ILP.
“Our demands have been achieved and now we are fully protected with the enactment of BEFR and ILP in the principal Citizenship Act, because of which, I decided to support CAB 2019,” he said.
Kenye claimed that while being in Delhi for the parliament session, NPF president Shurhozelie had called him after coming across his interview with a TV channel wherein he had said that he was ready to support CAB if only the Union government includes BEFR and ILP in the amendment.
He said Shurhozelie had asked him to reconsider the decision, but he told Liezietsu that there are changes in CAB, which he would be able to explain only after returning to Nagaland.
Kenye alleged that on reaching Kohima, he sought an appointment with party president to explain his stand, but it was “flatly rejected”. (PTI)
