A group of MLAs is demanding Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu’s removal, IANS reported on Saturday. More than 40 legislators of his Naga People’s Front party are currently camping in a resort near Kaziranga, Assam, and waiting for Nagaland Governor PB Acharya to return to Kohima.
Liezietsu had tried to pass a Cabinet resolution on Saturday to dissolve the State Assembly.
The MLAs have decided to re-elect former Chief Minister TR Zeliang as their new leader. However, in February, the NPF had forced Zeliang to resign as chief minister, after they demanded he rollback reservation for women. The legislators had left the state and stayed at the very same resort in Kaziranga at the time.
Nagaland’s Assembly polls will be held in 2018.
“I am deeply pained by the recent disturbing developments affecting the normal functioning of the government,” Liezietsu said while reacting to the political development, according to The Economic Times. “The NPF-led DAN government will complete its full term, and I appeal to the people of the state to remain calm. The normal government functioning should be smooth, and the benefits of government programmes at the grass root level, especially in rural areas. should not be hampered in any manner.”
The ongoing political crisis had started after Liezietsu decided to contest the bye-elections and asked his MLA son to resign and vacate a seat for him. His son, Khriehu, had resigned from the seat in June, thus allowing his father to be an elected member of the now 59-member Nagaland Assembly in order to continue in office.
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