Dissension among DAN coalition

Kohima, July 23 (UNI) The dissension among the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) coalition came to light, when its partner BJP expressed resentment against its ally Nagaland Peoples' Front (NPF) on the voting of Presidential election, recently.

The Nagaland unit of BJP is not happy with the NPF-DAN alliance, with NPF 32, BJP 05, JD (U) 02 and Independents 04 (all in DAN coalition) supporting the Nagaland Congress, which has only 17 legislators in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly.

One JD(U) legislator did not cast his vote in the Presidential election due to ill health. But in the election in Nagaland, altogether 40 votes were cast in favour of UPA-Left backed Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil, which shows that 23 of the DAN coalition did not cast their votes to the NDA backed candidate Bahiron Singh Shekhawat.

This is unbecoming and against the spirit of coalition, Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr T M Lotha retorted in a statement here today.

He said, ''We should have some political principle and atleast in a state like ours, where the government is run by a non-Congress coalition, particularly backed by the NDA, voting against our own candidate is uncalled for.'' Describing as 'ridiculous', he pointed out to the NPF that it was during the NDA regime that the DAN government enjoyed unprecedented economic and development packages and received certain status in the Naga political issue.

Dr Lotha claimed that though Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had agreed to hold a discussion with the coalition partners over the Presidential election, it was never discussed. Instead, he said, the NPF chose to hold a separate meeting and unilaterally resolved on casting 'conscience vote'.

He said it was not for the first time that NPF had betrayed the BJP. He alleged even in the past the NPF had not allowed the BJP to field its own candidate in the elections.

Dr Lotha, however, said despite all these, the BJP in Nagaland, continued to maintain the pre-poll coalition spirit.

UNI