Nagaland cabinet recommends holding special session

The Nagaland cabinet today recommended holding of a special session of state assembly for trial of strength in resolving the ongoing political impasse within the ruling Naga People's Front.
"The state cabinet sat today in the Civil Secretariat and recommended to summon the assembly on January 20," spokesperson of Naga People's Front (NPF) led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), Yitachu told a press conference here.
He said that the recommendation has already been forwarded to the Assembly Secretariat for onward processing to the Governor.
The assembly floor is the only appropriate place to test the strength of the incumbent leader T R Zeliang and also to resolve the impasse within NPF which entered the 11th day today following the open rebellion by 22 NPF legislators demanding change of leadership.

Yitachu said the sitting chief minister on January 9 had requested the Governor to convene the session to prove his majority, which is taking a long time. The people of the state cannot be kept at ransom and so the cabinet recommended for holding the special Assembly session.
Asked whether the Governor has approved convening the session, he said, "Now that the Cabinet has recommended, "the Governor will have not much choice but to convene the session".

Yitachu also exuded confidence that the incumbent chief minister has support of the majority of the DAN legislators, which includes 15 NPF (excluding Speaker), four BJP, one each of NCP and JD(U) besides seven Independent MLAs have also extended their support to TR Zeliang while the other dissident group led by Kaito Aye was just 13 legislators.

He claimed that the DAN partners - NPF, BJP, JD(U) and NCP - are intact as none of the partners officially withdrew as alliance partners.
The DAN government does not have any problem and all the dissident activities are illegal and undemocratic under the Anti-Defection law, he said.
Kaito led the dissident group while maintaining that they do not want strength test on the floor of the Assembly but change of leadership should take place.
The dissident group has also approached the Governor staking claim to form the new Government under Kaito's leadership.