Four Nagaland MLAs want ex-CM Neiphu Rio back

Guwahati: Bogged down by growing dissension among the ruling National People’s Front (NPF) legislators, the party president has asked them to allow him to take a decision for preventing the government from plunging into chaos.

People familiar with the matter said NPF president Shürhozelie Liezietsu sought the consent of the legislators in writing.

Mr Liezietsu’s appeal came a day after four NPF legislators wrote to him, asking the party president to bring back former chief minister and member of Parliament Neiphu Rio in party affairs.

The four members of legislative Assembly — Noke Wangnao, C.M. Chang, Namri Nchang, and Er. Kropol Vitsu — said in their joint letter: “We appeal to Mr Rio to return back to the state politics and reunite the party. We are making this appeal to Mr Rio since the situation in Nagaland has gone out of control.”

The MLAs said Mr Rio was the most acceptable leader of the Nagas. 

They said the party president and the chief minister should listen to people and restore normalcy in the state soon. People familiar with the matter said the NPF president is looking at proposing a new face to replace chief minister T.R. Zeliang. They said Mr Liezietsu has sought the opinion of Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, who are part of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland.

Most government offices and businesses remained shut. However, 30,000 students appeared in higher secondary and class 11 examinations on Tuesday