Nagaland District BJP leaders demand Along’s resignation

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 11 (EMN): Eight district and one organisational district presidents of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nagaland unit has demanded Temjen Imna Along, the president of BJP Nagaland unit, to resign gracefully from the party.

Briefing media persons on Sunday in Kohima, the presidents and representatives from these districts alleged that Along had ‘directly’ removed three districts’ party presidents from their posts—Phek, Kohima, and Tuensang, without issuing any prior notification.

The three district presidents who were removed by Along are Nücütso Rüho (Phek), T Chongshen Chang (Tuensang), and Seyiekhrielie Nagi (Kohima). They were removed as presidents on June 23, August 27, and September 28 respectively. It may be mentioned that Along has already appointed three new presidents in their seats.

The former president of Kohima district BJP, Seyiekhrielie Nagi, narrated how the crisis unfolded.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the district presidents were faced with difficulties and therefore decided to meet with the state president to share their grievances, he said.

Subsequently, on May 28, they sought appointment to meet Along but he turned down the request at once, Nagi claimed.

Therefore, they decided to meet with the Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton (BJP legislator) instead and had met him on June 2. During the meeting, the district presidents have shared their grievances with Patton; who in turn, expressed concern at the matter, he added.

Following the removal of Phek district BJP president, they held an emergency meeting and submitted a memorandum to the national general secretary and in-charge of northeast zone, Ram Madhav, on June 25, who was in Kohima back then.

The district party presidents met Madhav, who in turn had directed them to refrain from discussing the issue on social media platforms and the press. On that ground, they refrained from ‘exposing the issue in public domain until Sunday’, Nagi shared.

Thereafter, Along had removed the presidents of Tuensang district BJP and Kohima district BJP.

‘We wanted to tell that we are not appointed by Along, we are elected by the election commission’, he said.

‘We elected Temjen Imna Along as state BJP president for the second term, but now we have to remove him by ourselves,’ Nagi maintained.

‘We didn’t know him very well in the first term but we have come to know him very well in second term,’ he added.

The districts presidents’ alleged that Along is driving the party at ‘his own will’. He removes and appoints the party office bearers at his ‘own convenience’, it was alleged.

He also appointed those people without BJP party primary membership as office bearers, they added.

They went on to accuse that Along is functioning the party ‘on social media and in his house’.

The former president of Phek district BJP, Nücütso Rüho, said that ‘right after being elected as state BJP president till date, I haven’t met him (Along) even once because he refused all the appointments’.

Ruho, who claimed to have joined BJP since 2002 alleged that Along in his “dictatorial and autocratic style” has removed him “unceremoniously” from the post of the district president.

While removing, he was informed that he would be promoted to state executive member. But on August 28, when the state executives were declared, his name was not on the list, Ruho said.

Therefore, he accused Along as a leader who “doesn’t even know how to honour his own order”.

Further, he alleged that even during membership drive, Along did not go for district tours but had taken credit of the membership drive at the Centre.

‘Party is breaking and it’ll be totally damaged if he continues to be the president,’ claimed Ruho.

The former president of Tuensang district, T Chongshen Chang, also claimed that he was removed from the post on August 27 without any show cause notice being served to him.

‘Since we are elected members, removal should be decided by disciplinary action committee of the party but there was nothing as such and he removed us wilfully,’ he said.

Upon his removal, Along had appointed a caretaker president. ‘When the Tuensang BJP office is functioning and the party organisation in the district is going smoothly, why appoint a new caretaker president?’ Chang queried.

‘In 2018, when Along was re-elected as the BJP president. And till date, he hasn’t visited the 60 assembly constituencies and 14 districts even for once,’ he claimed.

Along, who is also the cabinet minister in-charge of two portfolios—Higher and Technical Education, and Tribal Affairs, ‘cannot give time to the party’, he went on to allege.

Therefore, he requested him to resign from the party president’s post.

‘If a party president cannot spare his time for the party, then how will the party function?’ he questioned.

The nine districts presidents and representatives have informed that leaders from Centre would be coming to have a meeting with them on Monday, October 12.

They further informed that they would take ‘necessary steps depending on the outcome of the meeting’.

The nine districts out of 14, are Kohima, Tuensang, Phek, Kiphire, Peren, Aboi (organisational district), Mon, Noklak, and Wokha.