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Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and NDPP president Chingwang Konyak with Imnatiba and L Khumo Khiamniungan after the two NPP MLAs merged with NDPP.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, March 20: The National People's Party (NPP) Nagaland unit suffered a huge setback on Wednesday as its two legislators -- Imnatiba and L Khumo Khiamniungan -- quit the party and joined the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) over the party leadership’s decision to go against the collective decision of the PDA.
Imnatiba is the advisor for Industries & Commerce in the PDA government, while L Khumo Khiamniungan is advisor of the department of Economics and Statistics.
Imnatiba told Eastern Mirror over phone that party functionaries of NPP have decided to field its own candidates for the by-election to the 26th Aonglenden constituency which is totally against the interest of the PDA which has already announced its consensus candidate.
“When the party functionaries make certain decision that is against the legislators of its own party and something that will attract disunity and affect the stability of the PDA, the only option is to leave,” said Imnatiba.
He said that he and Khumo had requested the NPP leaders not to field its candidates against the NPP consensus candidate but they didn’t pay heed.
“I’m not a kind of person to shift from one party to another but when my opinion is not respected by my own party functionaries and work against the consensus candidate of PDA; which is beyond my control, I decided to leave the party,” he said, adding that “it was to protect the harmony of the PDA family.”
The NDPP on Monday welcomed the two NPP legislators into the fold of the party.
“The merger will strengthen the PDA government under the progressive leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton. It will enhance stability and ensure that the PDA government remains focused on the agenda of all round development in an inclusive manner,” read a statement from NDPP.
The statement said that all the rank and file of the NDPP, including party president Chingwang Konyak and CM welcomed the two MLAs into the party fold along with their supporters and well-wishers.
“We look forward to a fruitful partnership and positive contributions towards the uplift of our society by the two capable leaders,” read the statement.
Following the development, Speaker-in-charge Zhaleo Rio has issued an official statement that the merger of MLAs Imnatiba and Khumo, Member belonging to NPP with NDPP has been accepted w.e.f. from March 20 after considering “the provision of Tenth Schedule para 4(2) of the Constitution of India read with the Members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 2019.”
“Hereafter .1) Shri. Imnatiba Memberof Legislative Assembly and 2) Shri. Khumo, Member of Legislative Assembly is deemed to be the Members of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) as per the Order of Hon’ble Speaker-In-Charge, Nagaland Legislative Assembly w.e.f. 20.3.19 (sic),” read the bulletin from the Speaker-in-charge.
In another press release, National People’s Party (NPP) state unit vice president T Chalukumba Ao has announced he has tendered his resignation from the party membership “alleging breach in spirit of camaraderie.”
In a letter to the national president, Chalukumba has accused NPP of going against the spirit of camaraderie in the PDA by fielding its own candidate to the bye-election in 26 Aonglenden AC despite request to support the consensus PDA candidates. He stated that NPP entered into a post-poll alliance with the PDA government in Nagaland in March 2018.
He added that in the spirit of the alliance, the constituent parties namely the NDPP, BJP, JD and the lone Independent member supported Tokheho Yepthomi and Sharingain Longkumer to be the PDA consensus candidates to the Lok Sabha election and the bye-election to the Aonglenden constituency of Nagaland respectively.