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Nagaland : Congress dissidents fail to dislodge Rio

	December 24, 2007

The leader of the newly-formed Congress-led

Opposition coalition in Nagaland, I. Imkong

Ao, who has been fighting a losing battle in

Delhi to dislodge Rio Government in Kohima, has

failed in attempts to convince the Congress high

command in Delhi about his mission.



Ao has been camping in Delhi to convince central

leaders, including President Pratibha Patil, to dismiss

the Neiphiu Rio-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland

(DAN) government. He claimed that it has been

reduced to a minority.



However, leaders of the NPA, which comprises

Congress legislators and some DAN dissidents, are

still trying to convince the Centre to impose President’s

rule in the state. They have already met UPA

chairperson Sonia Gandhi and external affairs minister

Pranab Mukherjee, among others. Congress

parliamentary secretary and legislator K.V. Pusa said

over phone that they would try to convince the Centre

to dismiss the Rio government on the grounds that it

has been reduced to a minority. Besides, the law and

order in the state is deteriorating and corruption is

rampant.



The Congress had moved a no-confidence

motion on December 13, which Speaker Kiyanielie

Peseyie had declared defeated.



On the question of President’s rule in Nagaland,

Pusa said: “You have to wait and see. I don’t want to

comment at the moment.” Now, the strength of the

DAN government is 23 (excluding the Speaker). The

Congress has 16 legislators and has the support of two

JD(U) MLAs and three Independents.



On December 13, the DAN government headed

by Rio survived a no-confidence motion moved by the

Congress, some disgruntled legislators of the

Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) and three Independent

MLAs.



BJP warns Centre against President’s Rule



Meanwhile, the opposition BJP on Dec. 21



warned the Central Government against considering

imposition of President’s Rule in Nagaland in the wake

of continuing political turmoil in the non-Congressruled

north-eastern state.



The saffron party, which is a constituent of the

ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, alleged that

“defections and resignations” of MLAs are being

mustered by local Congress at the behest of the UPA

Government.



Party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the

Neiphu Rio Government has proved majority in the

Assembly and despite that the Congress was indulging

in a “toppling game”, clearly showing their “insatiable

desire to grab power.”



“We will leave no stone unturned to oppose any

such unconstitutional attempt by the UPA

Government to impose President’s rule in Nagaland,”

he told reporters.



He alleged that the Congress “attempts to

dislodge the DAN Government in Nagaland, where

Assembly polls are due in February, reflects nothing

less than a sinister design to grab power and misuse

the official machinery to reap electoral gains.”



The policies of the UPA Government has already

put the entire North East in virtual political and social

turmoil and now a “clandestine attempt” is being

made to dislodge the DAN Government “usurping

all democratic norms and principles”.



Delimitation issue : SC vacates Guwahati HC

stay order



The Supreme Court has vacated the Gauhati

High Court stay on delimitation of constituencies and

asked the Delimitation Commission to carry on the

exercise. The Gauhati High Court had ordered the stay

on the delimitation process on June 24 last.



In its order on the issue, the Chief Justice R V

Raveendran and Justice J M Panchal said on December

14 that the delay in filing the Special Leave Petition

(SLP) on the matter was condoned and the notices

should be served on the respondent parties.



The Delimitation Commission of India had

moved the Apex Court challenging the Guwahati High

Court stay order on the delimitation process. A state

advocate had moved the High Court on the ground

that the issue of citizenship be resolved first by

updating the National Registrar of Citizens (NRC)

before undertakng the delimitation exercise in the

State.