NEW DELHI, June 22 � Is Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang heading for another spell of political trouble, as the central leadership of the BJP has decided to look for an alternative and a possible first ever BJP-led government in this Christian-dominated State?
Party sources said that BJP�s central leadership has given the green signal to its State unit to decide on a consensus candidate for the post of the Chief Minister. The BJP has four Cabinet Ministers in the Zeliang government.
Sources said that the BJP leadership is upset with Zeliang ever since he had inducted Congress MLAs in his coalition government ignoring opposition from the BJP. The Chief Minister engaged in deft political manoeuvring by hijacking the Congress MLAs and leaving the Congress red-faced.
However, the exercise left the BJP, too, in a piquant situation. Zeliang made the eight Congress MLAs Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.
The BJP central leadership is not impressed with Zeliang�s act of forming an all-party government in the State, because the saffron party is facing uncomfortable questions from within for having to share power with the Congress.
�It is embarrassing for us. Why should we do this, as we are in power in Delhi? This politics of horse-trading is against our ethos,� asserted a leader handling political affairs in Nagaland.
The matter was discussed with BJP national president Amit Shah, who too was upset with the new arrangement. Shah had visited Kohima on April 18 to take stock of the political situation of the State.
The State BJP, an ally of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) for the last 12 years, is now weighing its options of forming government with support of rebel MLAs. If the plan turns out to be successful, it would be the first ever BJP government in the North Eastern Region, party leaders said.
Furthermore, the BJP is also not too pleased with the distribution of portfolios. Zeliang gave all the plum portfolios, like Urban Development, Public Health Engineering, Tourism, and the Deputy Speaker, to Congress MLAs as they had defied their party whip and supported the Zeliang government on the floor of Assembly during the vote of confidence. On the other hand, he gave comparatively less important portfolios to BJP Ministers, like Cooperative Societies, Labour and Unemployment and Transport.
Earlier this month, the Nagaland Chief Minister called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain his side of the story, but failed to get any assurance from Modi, sources said.
Zeliang again sought an appointment with the Prime Minister last week, which was declined. He was instead advised to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, for he stated that he wanted to discuss about the ongoing negotiations with the NSCN (I-M), said sources.
The Nagaland Chief Minister had won the floor test with an overwhelming support of the entire House, including the Opposition Congress members� votes, in February. But trouble from within his ruling Naga People�s Front (NPF) continued. Former State Industry Minister G Kaito Aye, who led a pack of 21 dissident NPF legislators, has been projected as an alternative to Zeliang.
