DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 22 (MExN): While stating that the Joint Legislative Forum (JLF) was formed and its July 19, 2012 resolution on Naga political issue was adopted cutting across party lines in the greater interest of the Naga people, the Congress party today informed that its legislators had “offered to sacrifice the rest of the months of the present house which was rejected by the DAN legislators”. “The DAN coalition in its reply had made it clear that they will not resign before the solution”, stated a press note issued by C. Apok Jamir, Parliamentary Secretary to the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) while also pointing out that “now the Naga people have come to know who are for political solution and who are against it”.
The Opposition Congress stated that it was constrained to make a public statement on the reply of the NPF-led DAN coalition signed by the Chief Minister which was received on 20th November 2012. According to the press note from the CLP, “the crux of the JLF resolution No.3 was to expedite and facilitate the political dialogue and conclude the talk before the State general election due in March 2013”.
And in order to achieve this goal, the CLP stated that the focus of appeal for early solution was “more on the Government of India than on other negotiating parties” and that the “JLF had committed to make a sacrifice towards the solution”. Stating that the Congress legislators had offered to quit, the CLP pointed out that this was rejected by the DAN legislators.
“However, the question of resignation does not arise after the solution because then, the compulsion will take its natural course. After the solution it can no longer be called a sacrifice”, stated the CLP while making it clear that the “Congress had acted in good faith at appropriate time”.
Pointing out that the desire of the Naga people in general is solution before the election, the CLP stated that the NPF led DAN government by refusing to resign “they have betrayed the trust of the general public which is nothing short of recalling their mandate to the DAN coalition”. The CLP also stated that the DAN legislators are “only trying to further their own interests” and that “they want to enjoy their seats of power till the end because they know that, if not all, most of them will not be re-elected”.
Also stating that the NPF-led DAN coalition’s narrow interpretation of mandate was an attempt to stay put in power, the CLP pointed out that the Rio government wanted to go to polls with all the State machineries under its control.
Further the apprehension on the calculation that President’s Rule will be imminent by the resignation of sixty MLAs, the CLP stated that this was “unfounded and uncalled for” and that “the contention that it will precipitate a situation of suppression and undemocratic rule was not only misleading but also a figment of imagination, demeaning the democratic ethos of the constitution”.
The Congress claimed that President’s Rule is not the absolute and ultimate answer post-resignation and that other Constitutional options are always available. “The Union Govt. will not rush to invoke PR without exploring alternative options”, the CLP stated.
However, if PR is invoked, the CLP stated that this will be the DAN government’s own doing seeing its “rancid mis-governance”. The CLP also claimed that the DAN government is afraid of PR because many of its members will be brought under surveillance for corruption.
While stating that President’s Rule “may have its own negative bearings”, nevertheless, with the kind of “unpopular DAN government in place today, the people of Nagaland would rather prefer President’s Rule”, the CLP stated. “If PR is the answer to end the corrupt DAN government and meet the need of time constraint for political solution in the next few months, people must welcome it”.
Meanwhile on the winter session of Parliament starting on November 22, 2012, the CLP stated that this will be the last Parliament session before the State general election in Nagaland. “The resignation of 18 Congress legislators and one independent MLA may not make impact but the en-mass resignation of all 60 MLAs will certainly have tremendous impact”, the CLP stated.
“If the JLF is sincere and serious in its effort, the only option left before the election is to create an issue of national importance out of the political dialogues for zero hour discussion giving the fact that the BAC has not included the agenda in its list of business in the current winter session of Parliament”, the CLP stated.
