Nagaland: PDA, NPF at loggerheads over JLF

Morung Express News
Kohima | November 5

The joint press conference called by the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) Legislature party on Naga political issue on November 5 witnessed differences of opinions.

While there were speculations that the NPF would rejoin the Joint Legislators Forum (JLF) on Naga political issue, the conference remained inconclusive with both parties sticking to their stands on the issue.

Chief Minister (CM) Neiphiu Rio said that the press conference was necessitated as requested by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a recent meeting on the protracted Naga political issue which was also attended by TR Zeliang and Himanta Biswas Sharma, Convenor NEDA.

During the meeting with Shah, Rio said “we had many discussions about the negotiations and about the facilitator role.” He also claimed that during the meeting the opposition leader, Zeliang was asked by Shah as to why he did not attend the October 15 consultative meeting called by the PDA government.

According to Rio, Zeliang reportedly responded that NPF legislators had withdrawn from Joint Legislature Forum (JLF), however, they have been meeting the Naga groups working to bring them together.

Rio further claimed that Zeliang had endorsed the seven point resolutions passed during the October 15 consultative meeting called by the PDA government. Accordingly, Shah requested them to “have a joint press conference and endorse the resolution.”

Stating that the joint press conference was called to endorse the resolution, Rio took a dig at Zeliang, and said “In his speech, he did not make a mention of that, but instead he talked about their proposal which they discussed with us in my residence and later on they had discussion with the NPF working committee which had come out in the media the following day. Their proposal was to have a parliamentary forum of all the elected 60 members including two MPs.”

Zeliang had written to the Chief Minister on November 2, requesting him to consider the proposals of the NPF Legislature Party.

The first proposal was to do away with the ‘conventional JLF’ and set up a common platform under the CM’s chairmanship with all 60 MLAs and the two MPs of Nagaland as members.

It also sought for a Special Assembly Session to be summoned ‘at the earliest’ to discuss the Naga Political issue. A thorough deliberation in the Assembly followed by adoption of Assembly resolution “is the most crucial and need of the hour,” it added.

The NPF reminded that it is time to revisit their commitment to the Naga people, adding that “…the elected members should even be prepared to step down and pave the way for settlement.”

According to Zeliang, the NPF had withdrawn from the JLF owing to its ‘dormancy’. However, he added that “When it comes to Naga political issue, we have no political affiliation and are always ready to work provided that all legislators, cutting across political party lines, sincerely dedicate to work towards achieving one common goal by being active facilitators.”

He also said that the central government is ‘seriously working’ to resolve the Naga issue and assured that the opposition would ‘fully cooperate’ if the state government has the same seriousness.

‘No requirement to discontinue JLF’

However, Rio said that he does not see any reason to change the nomenclature of the JLF or set up another platform at this juncture to bring the people together, when JLF has all the elected 60 members and MPs since its formation.

“We are already together. On behalf of the treasury bench, even today, am making an appeal that you must rejoin JLF” Rio said and questioned why they want to abandon JLF and go to another platform. 

“You want to do away with the consultative meeting on Naga political issue held on October 15. That is not acceptable” asserted Rio and said that it was not easy to call all the Nagas with so many tribes and organisations with varied opinions to a common platform.

To this end, Rio said “if they agree with the October 15 resolution, as he (Zeliang) has stated to the Union Home Minister, NPF party may endorse the resolution and continue to work together particularly for the settlement to the protracted Naga political issue.” 

In a meeting held on Thursday with its elected members, PDA coordination committee members and chairpersons of PSUs in attendance, the House reportedly deliberated on the proposal of the leader of opposition and observed that the JLF has been ‘successfully playing the role of active facilitator’ in the Indo-Naga peace process since its formation in 2009. The PDA maintained that there is ‘no requirement’ to discontinue JLF ‘at this crucial and late juncture’.

As such, it resolved to continue with the JLF as per its August 20 resolution.