Dimapur, April 2 (EMN): The National People’s Party (NPP) has filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court of India, challenging the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker’s decision to allow the merger of two former NPP legislators with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).
On March 20, Imnatiba and L Khumo Khiamniungan, who were elected on NPP tickets, had resigned from the party to join the NDPP. They had left the NPP after the party decided to field its own candidate against the PDA consensus candidate in Aonglenden.
On Tuesday, the party issued a statement informing it had contended before the Supreme Court that the Speaker’s assent was a “gross violation of paragraph 4 of Xth Schedule of the Constitution.”
According to the NPP: “The order of the Speaker is in gross violation of principle of natural justice as no notice was issued to the NPP before passing the order on merger of two legislators with NDPP. Furthermore, there was no merger of original political party that is NPP with NDPP.”
It claimed that the Speaker has “acted in partisan and unfair manner and contrary to the provisions of the Constitution.” The case is “likely to be heard at an early date,” the party added.