NPF serves show cause notice MPs for voting in favour of CAB

The opposition Naga People's Front has served show cause notice to its two MPs - K G Kenye and Dr Lorho S Pfoze - for voting in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in parliament in defiance of the party resolution not to support the CAB.

The NPF central office through its Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) on Thursday served show cause notice to both the MPs for voting in favour of CAB, party sources said on Friday.

They have been asked to reply to the show cause notice within seven days, the notice said.

Meanwhile, NPF Rajya Sabha MP K G Kenye on Friday said on the receipt of show cause notice, he has tendered his resignation from the post of secretary general of the party.

He claimed that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 strengthens the Inner Line Permit and continuation of Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873, because of which he supported the passage of CAB 2019 in the parliament.

Kenye voted in favour of the Bill along with NPFs Lok Sabha member from Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituency, Dr Lorho S Pfoze.

Various civil societies and tribal bodies in the state have condemned the two MPs for voting in favour of CAB.

Justifying his stand at a press conference here, Kenye said his "priority is the protection of the rights of Nagaland and its people".

He said that NPF as a regional political party had been opposing CAB 2016 because it did not have any protection and regularization of BEFR 1873 and ILP regime existent in Nagaland.

"Continuation of BEFR Act 1873 had not undergone any enactment in the Parliament, and we feared that it could be easily withdrawn if so decided by a mere resolution of the Union Cabinet like Article 370 and Assam Accord, and therefore we were saying we are vulnerable to CAB," he said.

He claimed the inclusion of ILP and BEFR clauses in the principal act has strengthened the protection of Nagaland state from illegal immigrants and it has given supreme power to the state government to stringently execute ILP.

"Our demands have been achieved and now we are fully protected with the enactment of BEFR and ILP in the principal Citizenship Act, because of which I decided to support CAB 2019," he said.

Kenye lamented that the show cause notice was issued "without understanding the factual changes in CAB 2019 from 2016."