Displeased NPF to summon rebel MPs

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Dec. 28 (EMN): The Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) of Naga People’s Front (NPF) was “not satisfied” with the reply made by its two Members of Parliament (MP). Accordingly, the committee “is going to summon” the two MPs and “listen to their explanation” as to why they voted in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Following the MPs’ endorsement of Citizenship Amendment Bill(CAB) at both the houses of Parliament, the DAC had on December  19, served separate show cause notices to the two NPF MPs, KG Kenye (Rajya Sabha) and Dr. Lorho Pfoze (Lok Sabha) from Manipur. The MPs were asked to reply within seven days (on December 26), a deadline which they were said to have met.  

However, the committee was “not satisfied” with the reasons provided by the two MPs. Therefore, it intends “to summon” the two MPs as soon as the office re-opens on January 14, 2020, the convenor of DAC Blaise Iheilung said while speaking to Eastern Mirror on Saturday.

In their reasons, the two MPs stated that voting in favour of CAA was a “mandate”. Some of the other reasons included ‘incorporation of Inner line Permit (ILP), Sixth Schedule’, he said.

The convenor claimed that the party is “not concerned about the ILP or the Sixth Schedule”. It is only concerned about CAA, he said.

Therefore, the DAC “will give them (MPs) time” and listen to their reasons, only after which “we will take action”, Iheilung added.

A day after the show cause notice was served, MP KG Kenye had resigned as the NPF secretary general, which was accepted by the party. On December 20, Kenye claimed that he was “denied” opportunity by the party to explain his endorsement of the CAA, while addressing a press conference in Kohima.

He also defended that CAB of 2019 was “revised” (exemptions made for states under ILP regime and Sixth Schedule), and it would have been “meaningless” to oppose the Bill.

The NPF in its central executive council meeting held in January this year, had resolved to oppose the CAB and further decided that the Rajya Sabha MP would vote against the Bill if it were not withdrawn.