Nagaland crisis: Liezietsu's NPF calls Guv Acharya 'RSS pracharak', who played partisan role in installing Zeliang

Kohima: The Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Wednesday alleged that Nagaland governor PB Acharya had played a partisan role in installing the TR Zeliang government in the state.

“The haste with which he has acted favouring the RSS-friendly dispensation should be a wake up call for the Naga people…,” said a release issued by NPF Media and Press Bureau in Kohima.

“It was very clear that the governor who was a decorated ‘RSS pracharak’…with a single agenda but he could not effectively fulfill his mission so long as the BJP was riding piggy back on the NPF,” it alleged.

“By aligning with the BJP all these years and playing host to the saffron party, the NPF was successful in containing the agenda of the BJP in Nagaland,” it said.

They alleged that the BJP seemed to be buoyed by the Assam and Manipur victories and planned to repeat “another Arunachal experiment in Nagaland”.

It said the Nagaland governor owed an explanation to the people and his conscience about what “extenuating circumstances prompted him to support legislators sans party set up this time round when he did exactly the opposite in 2015”.

“Or has he forgotten that in 2015 he did not entertain the NPF dissidents’ plea to dismiss the then so-called ‘minority’ government of TR Zeliang who then had the sanction and mandate of the party set up?” it asked.

It claimed the day after the NPF severed ties with the BJP, the governor dismissed the NPF-led government.

On a day of fast-moving political developments, Zeliang was on Wednesday sworn in as the new chief minister replacing Shurhozelie Liezietsu who was sacked by Acharya.

But within hours, the NPF expelled Zeliang for six years for “anti-party activities”, indicating the political turmoil was far from over.

“He was adamant and has already planned to dismantle the NPF party,” NPF working presidents Huska Yepthomi and Apong Pongener said.

They claimed the decision was taken to keep peace in the party. Zeliang, however, was unfazed saying he would continue to remain the NPF leader in the House.

“The expulsion from the party does not affect the membership inside the House,” he said.