No Oppn in Nagaland, Zeliang stumps long-term partner BJP

 This has come as a big jolt to Amit Shah, national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally to <g data-gr-id="97">Zeliang’s</g> Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) for 12 years. Shah had rejected <g data-gr-id="98">Zeliang’s</g> proposal to induct Congress MLAs in DAN during his visit to Kohima in April.

Zeliang may have wiped out the Congress in the Assembly by making all its eight MLAs ministers and parliamentary secretaries, but the BJP -- both in the state and at Centre -- is feeling betrayed by the Chief Minister, who weakened its ally by making an all-party government for the first time in the political history. 

DAN has 52 MLAs in the 60-member House and Congress 8. Zeliang floated the idea of an “all-party” government to make this Congress-BJP combination possible, once or twice even dubbing it a “party-less” government. 

BJP insiders say that among those Zeliang floated the idea of an “all-party” government was Shah. But Shah did not agree. During his visit to Nagaland on April 18, Shah took stock of the political situation in the state, where Zeliang was facing dissent from within his party. 

According to sources, the BJP was weighing its chances to form the government in Nagaland, with the support of rebel Democratic Alliance of Nagaland MLAs. Had the plan been successful, it would have been the first BJP government in the North-East region. 

According to sources, Zeliang told Shah that by doing this Nagaland will be the first “Congress Mukta state”. But Shah accepted the advice of his party’s state unit and said no to an alliance, where both the Congress and the BJP become partners in one government. 

The BJP was not ready to buy the idea of an “all-party” government as it saw in the swelling Naga People's Front (NPF) dissident ranks a chance to topple Zeliang himself. The proposal also caused unease in the BJP, with party leaders arguing that they could not partner with the Congress. “It is embarrassing for us. Why should we do this? We are in power in Delhi. This politics of horse-trading is against our ethics,” said a BJP leader. 

The Zeliang ministry was facing an upheaval with 22 NPF MLAs, demanding change in guard on January 5, which had led to the sacking of four Cabinet ministers and nine parliamentary secretaries. The rebellion had forced Zeliang to move for trust vote in the Assembly on February 5, wherein all elected members, including the Opposition Congress, voted in favour of his leadership.

Sources close to the Chief Minister said he was under tremendous pressure from Congress MLAs that they should be rewarded with posts in the government as they had helped him save his chair, despite clear instructions from the party high-command to oppose the Zeliang regime in the state. 

Zeliang gave in to their pressure and <g data-gr-id="68">inducted</g> Congress parliamentary party leader <g data-gr-id="67">Tokheho</g> Yepthomi as minister, five other party MLAs were appointed parliamentary secretaries, one was appointed adviser to the Chief Minister with a Cabinet rank and another was named Deputy Speaker in the Assembly. 

After inducting all Congress MLAs, Zeliang said his dream of an Opposition-free government had come true. “The state now has an all-party government,” he said.

  BJP leader in Nagaland, M Chuba Ao, has already sent a detailed note against Zeliang to his party’s parliamentary board, but supporters of the Chief Minister are trying to sell a new theory that everything was done in accordance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a “Congress Mukta Bharat”. They said the state has become ‘Congress Mukta’. 

Sources said that former Chief Minister and <g data-gr-id="66">Zeliang’s</g> mentor, SC Jamir, is behind this game plan. The Congress made Jamir the Chief Minister thrice, Union Minister and even appointed him the Governor of Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. Sources said despite the fact that the NDA government at the Centre removed all governors appointed by the UPA, Jamir is still enjoying his gubernatorial position. He, during his short tenure as the Governor of Gujarat, developed good relations with Narendra Modi, the then Chief Minister of the state. When Modi became the Prime Minister, Jamir met him in New Delhi and was not asked to resign. 

According to sources, Jamir wanted to establish his son, a former Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress, in Nagaland politics. He wanted his son to become the Chief Minister with the BJP’s help and might have asked his son to join the party. However, state BJP leaders are opposed to any link between the Jamir family and the BJP.  To prepare the ground for that, Jamir’s managers brokered a deal between Zeliang and Congress MLAs.

They say Zeliang is the grandson of Jongshinokdang, who in the late 19th century had the providential opportunity to meet American Christian Missionary Rev. Edwin W. Clark and was instrumental in introducing Christianity to Nagaland. 

After that, a large number of Nagaland tribals were converted to Christianity. It is a known fact that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is against the conversion of any tribal people to Christianity or Islam. How can they allow the BJP to join hands with the Jamir family? In toto, the BJP and RSS leaders are stumped by Zeliang, who worked according to Jamir’s plan to wipe out both the Congress and the BJP from the state, so that a powerful regional party may permanently rule it.