Share
Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 2 (EMN): In the face of an internal revolt, the president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nagaland unit, Temjen Imna Along, has exuded confidence that the party will emerge stronger from the episode.
Recently, 10 district unit presidents of BJP Nagaland had sought the ouster of Along, alleging that his style of functioning was “dictatorial and autocratic”.
Speaking to journalists in Kohima on Thursday, Along, who is also the minister for Higher and Technical Education and Tribal Affairs, maintained that such affairs are not a new thing in politics.
“I don’ think they have challenged the seat, they just want to know how strong the seat is,” he said, adding that “allegation can be anything”.
According to him, the BJP has 14 political districts in Nagaland (one each in the 11 administrative districts and three organisational districts).
He said that the former president of BJP Phek division was reassigned as state executive as “reassigning is the prerogative of the state president”. It was never dictatorial or autocratic, he added.
“The BJP is a high command party; we have our approval in the right way to reassign anyone and when I reassign him to the state executive, I have the approval from my higher up to do so,” said the president.
Along also asserted that the BJP “will penetrate deep into the whole state and work hard for our people, no matter what the controversies are”.
Further, the minister called upon the people of the state to rise above tribalism.
Referring to the controversy surrounding the proposed delimitation exercise in Nagaland, Along said that “solution is of most eminent need, and division of the 14 tribes is not healthy at any point”.
“The long-cherished dream of every citizens of this state to see the culmination of the discussions of the framework agreement is of the greatest priority even for the BJP party in Nagaland; not dividing us among tribes and issues,” he said.
“I am not saying delimitation will divide the Nagas or will not divide the Nagas. What I am trying to say is that 14 tribes’ unity has been so prominent, and as we know very well, when something like this crop up, after so many years, when we had rejected it once upon a time, the census 2001, and when the framework agreement has already been signed and subsequently with the NNPG; and when on October 31, 2019, the talks have been successfully concluded…what I shared was that impending solution is of great importance,” he added.
With regard to the governor’s letter on ‘law and order’ to the chief minister, Along maintained that the cabinet had already met the governor and shared how the state is performing better.
“He (Ravi) has to look from the perspective of the situation that was prevailing for the past so many years; and we have to make him understand this is how Nagaland is and that’s why he is there as the governor and interlocutor to give us the solution,” he added.