CM meets Manmohan and Sonia
Al Ngullie
Dimapur | May 19
Mired in a flurry of fast political developments in Nagaland’s politics, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today met with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi in Delhi today. And armed with a “letter of unconditional support.”
Highly-knowledgeable sources close to the chief minister’s office disclosed that the chief minister handed over what was called a “letter of unconditional support to the UPA” to the national leaders. The question of whether or not the NPF-led DAN would join the UPA continues to be skirted by the regional party’s leaders.
Extending “issue-based support” to the Congress-led UPA is not a new story appended by the NPF-led DAN government. But what is of deepened significance to the entire aspect of “issue-based support” now is that the “letter of support to the UPA” comes in the backdrop of heightened speculations that the DAN would join the central coalition government. And as if a pointer to the state of things to come as speculated, the Nagaland state BJP unit was also – coming extremely unexpected – dissolved yesterday and subsequently merged with the now-largest-majority ruling party in the state.
Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Khekiho Zhimomi said tonight that the meeting saw “no special discussion” but that Rio and his team expressed “unconditional support” to the UPA government. To the query if the so-stated “unconditional support” meant that the NPF-DAN is to join the central coalition, Zhimomi repeated: “It (‘letter of support’) is just to say we have no reservation in giving unconditional support to the UPA. We have decided to give unconditional support.”
Rio and his team, Zhimomi said, went to the central UPA leaders carrying the “mandate of the party” and “congratulated the UPA on their good thumping majority.” The actual gist of “mandate of the party” was not explained at this stage. The UPA has responded ‘very positively’, he added.
Rio, along with a number of unidentified Cabinet colleagues, is in Delhi. Highly-placed sources said his “visit” could possibly take “three or more days.” When contacted, press secretary to the chief minister Abu Metha said Neiphiu Rio today met with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and chairman of the UPA Sonia Gandhi. Rio congratulated the UPA chiefs on their recent election success and handed over a “letter of support”. The PM and Gandhi ‘received it very positively’ Metha also said. The meeting with the PM and Gandhi was brief as pressing engagement to forming the government are on, he said.
In a related matter, the Nagaland Legislative Speaker has accepted the merger of the BJP with the NPF. On the formalities, Metha said, the NPF leader wrote to the NLA Speaker of the development and one which was subsequently accepted today. A revised summery of information on the merger was also received today from the state assembly. The summery outlined the BJP’s two sitting legislators Forest minister MC Konyak and Parliamentary Secretary Yanthungo Patton. Senior DAN ministers did not take calls made to them for comment.
