Crisis in DAN III deepens as CM axes 4 cabinet ministers

The chief minister also removes ten parliamentary secretaries; NPF suspends ten legislators

Dimapur, July 9 (EMN): The scrap for supremacy within the NPF for the seat of the chief minister has dragged the state into yet another political crisis even as incumbent chief minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacked four of his cabinet ministers and ten parliamentary secretaries who were gunning for his removal.
The four ministers who faced the axe on Sunday were Y Patton (Home), G Kaito Aye (National Highways, Political Affairs), Imkong L Imchen (Environment and Forest, Climate Change), and C Kipili Sangtam (Power).
In a separate order, the chief minister also removed ten parliamentary secretaries (four NPF legislators and six independent legislators) from their respective berths. The list includes S Chuba Longkumer, Naiba Konyak, BS Nganglang, Deo Nukhu, Shetoyi, Amenba Yaden, Er Picto Shohe, YM Yollow, Er Levi Rengma and Toyang Changkong Chang.
All those legislators have been sacked after they sought the removal of chief minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu, and pitched TR Zeliang as replacement. Liezietsu has also removed Nuklutoshi Longkumer from his role as advisor to the chief minister.
The mass sacking was followed by an order from the chief minister’s office directing the state DGP to withdraw the “security escorts” provided to the axed ministers and parliamentary secretaries.
In another development, the NPF disciplinary action committee (DAC) on Sunday suspended ten of its legislators’ primary and active membership. “…they shall however continue to be bound by the whip of the Naga People’s Front on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly as per judicial decisions of the apex court”, read the suspension order made available to the press.
The suspended NPF legislators were TR Zeliang, Y Patton, C Kipili Sangtam, G Kaito Aye, Imkong L lmchen, Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak and Dr Benjongliba Aier. According to the DAC order, the mass suspension became ‘inevitable to keep peace in the party and the government’.
The suspended members, it stated, had “indulged in activities against the by-election by demanding the resignation of Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the chief minister of Nagaland” despite being “party to the resolution” of the Legislator Party of NPF and to support the chief minister in the by-election.
They also had “revolted against the party chief minister by going against the party government to destabilize the NPF led DAN government in the meeting held on 8th July, 2017 demanding the resignation of the party chief minister without the party knowledge, thereby indulging in the anti-party activities.”
The NPF president, according to the DAC order, had concluded that the suspended members were involved in anti-party activities “which is singularly aimed at dividing the party so that, at the cost of the party, they could reposition themselves in power in the party and the government, as would be evident from his faction claiming control of the Naga People’s Legislative party”.