Nagaland crisis: Ex-CM TR Zeliang stakes claim to form government

Guwahati: Former Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and senior leaders of the Nagaland People’s Front are likely to meet state governor PB Acharya on Monday in Guwahati.

Saying Acharya will be Guwahati on Monday, sources in the rebel camp said that most of the NPF MLAs, who were at a resort near the Kaziranga National Park and Kohima, were also arriving in Guwahati.

Pointing out that Zeliang had sought an appointment with the governor, sources said at least 41 NPF MLAs out of 47 had given their consent for the ouster of Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu.

Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday also sent a recommendation to Raj Bhavan for the dismissal of four ministers and 10 parliamentary secretaries, but the decision was pending as Acharya was in Guwahati on Sunday.

The Chief Minister sought the removal of home minister Yanthungo Patton, power minister Kipili Sangtam, national highway and political affairs minister G Kaito Aye, and forest-environment and climate change minister Imkong L Imchen from the Cabinet.

Earlier, in a letter to the governor, former chief minister TR Zeliang, who was forced to quit due to an agitation by civil society groups four months back, staked claim to forming the  government again.

He told the governor that he had the support of 41 legislators. “The legislators also urged the present Chief Minister, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, who is a non-legislator, to resign and pave the way for me (Zeliang) to take over as Chief Minister,” he said in his letter.

Claiming the support of 34 (including himself) out of the 47 NPF legislators, he informed the governor that seven Independents had also affirmed their support to him. In the letter, Zeliang said the legislators wanted him to continue as leader of the NPF legislature party and also authorised him to stake claim to form a new NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government.

He said a meeting of the NPF legislature party was held on July 4 at his residence.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu in an official notification terminated the appointment of Zeliang as adviser (finance) to the state government.

Zeliang said, however, that he had already resigned from that post. The problem started with the appointment of the Chief Minister’s son Khriehu Liezietsu as his adviser with Cabinet status and pay.