Morung Express News
Kohima | July 12
Despite the present dissidence among the Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislators, the Party, as well as the State Government, is intact, the Minister of School Education & SCERT Yitachu claimed today.
Both the NPF Party and the State Government are functioning normally, maintained Yitachu, who is also the ‘Spokesperson of NPF Party.’
The Government in a State means Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers and since the maximum number including the CM in Nagaland is 12 and out of this, 8 are being occupied, it forms the full quorum, he added.
“Constitutionally and legally, the Chief Minister of Nagaland still enjoys the confidence of 58 Members i.e. 47 NPF MLAs, 4 BJP MLAs and 7 Independent MLAs, because the 4 BJP MLAs are in the Government, and even the 7 Independent MLAs have not withdrawn their letter of support,” the Spokesperson further maintained.
He further said that the present crisis is purely NPF internal Party affair and the issue of leadership in the NPF Party is “different from the leadership in the Government i.e Chief Minister.”
“When it comes to leadership in the Party, it has to be decided in the Party Forum, and the issue cannot be taken to the Governor’s office or in the Assembly” Yitachu pointed out in an apparent dismissal of the call for a floor test in the Assembly.
“If T.R Zeliang claims to have the support of the majority NPF Legislature Party, he should take up the issue with the NPF Party first, but asking Governor to resolve the internal affairs of the NPF Party is illegal and unconstitutional,” the Minister further stated.
“Trying to resolve internal Party problems in the Assembly is not in accordance with democratic and Parliamentary practices. That is why it is an established law that a No-Confidence Motion cannot be tabled in the Assembly by the Legislators of the ruling party.”
While arguing that there is always a room for inner-party democracy, Yitachu alleged that the movement of MLAs at the present dissident camp in Kaziranga “are being restricted, and they are kept under forced confinement.”
“This is undemocratic, as it undermines freedom of movement and freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution.”
As the Independent MLAs, or for that matter, the MLAs of BJP or other political parties have no role to play in the issue of deciding the leadership of the NPF Legislature Party, it is expected that such established democratic practices and parliamentary procedures should be within the knowledge of MLAs, he added.
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