Bonnie Konyak and Karaiba Chawang
Raj Bhavan | June 12
Crushing all hopes nourished by dissident MLAs for change in DAN leadership, the Governor of Nagaland, SK. Shankaranarayanan said that the present political situation was a case of crisis within the party and hence was not a concern of the Governor’s table. In an exclusive interview with The Morung Express in his Chambers at Raj Bhavan, Kohima, the Governor stated, “It is just party politics so how can the Governor be a party to it?” he asked while adding that the difference within a party should be sorted out among themselves.
With regards to suspended MLA Therie’s statement that the ball was now in the court of the Governor, Shankaranarayanan said that he was not a player here but merely a ‘goalkeeper.’ He expressed his opinion that in a democracy where there is an elected government, that government should be recognized by all.
On being asked of the call for President Rule by the Congress, Shankaranarayanan said that any party could demand anything according to their own reasons but maintained that he did not see substantial reasons to apply Article 356 in Nagaland. “I cannot give opening to any political party, I will go according to the Constitution”, the Governor asserted. Saying that ‘everybody goes to Delhi all the time,’ Shankaranarayanan also brushed aside speculations of his trip to Delhi on June 13, coinciding with that of Opposition leader Imkong’s. He said that the only agenda for his trip to the Capital was the NEC meeting on June 19 and any meeting with the Prime Minister or any other leader would be because of the need for their help in Nagaland, nothing else. “I don’t want to tag with unnecessary things, I will be the last person for that” the Governor declared.
At the same time Sankaranarayanan said that as the Governor he was pinning on development activities and that development and peace should go hand in hand. “Development is the only answer for all these problems”, he stated while expressing a positive feeling that things would soon change for the Naga people with the Centre’s decision to pump money into the North East. Saying that there was no actual problem hampering development in Nagaland but just the need for it to be taken up at a greater pace, the Governor articulated that a National opening was needed to attract private entrepreneurs into Nagaland.
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