Trouble brewing within Joint Legislature Forum, Nagaland
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Dimapur, January 06 2013 : All is not well in the 60-Nagaland MLAs' Forum floated to push for the early settlement of the vexed Naga political issue.

The Joint Legislature Forum (JLF) floated in the middle of last year by the 60 MLAs of Nagaland Legislative Assembly cutting across party lines suffered a huge set back as the ruling and the Opposition have strategic and ideological differences.

As of today, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) and the Congress led Opposition parties are fast heading towards opposing directions triggered by various differences.

One difference is that the Opposition parties want that the all the sitting MLAs resign enmasse to exert pressure on the Central Government to expedite the ongoing Naga peace talks.

The ruling NPF opposes this idea saying in the event of a mass resignation by all the legislators there will be a vacuum that will be immediately addressed by the Centre in the form of President's Rule.

The NPF reasoned that Nagaland has had enough bitter experiences whenever President's Rule was imposed in the past.

Meanwhile, amid this development, a local daily based here had reported today that the Opposition parties including the Congress, the BJP, the NCP, the JD(U), the Trinamool Congress and the RJD had a closed door meeting yesterday and had decided not to participate in the January 8 JLF meeting to be convened by the Nagaland legislative assembly Speaker.Observers said that if the Opposition parties do not participate in the January 8 JLF meeting then there would be serious blow to the Joint Legislature Forum (JLF) itself.

Last year sometime in August, the JLF after its formation had created much waves in Nagaland as the forum became very vocal pressing New Delhi to expedite the ongoing Indo-Naga peace talks.

The JLF had, in more than one occasion threatened to resign enmasse demanding the early settlement of the Indo-Naga political issue.

Members of the JLF headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had gone to New Delhi on two or three occasions meeting the Central leaders, both the ruling and the Opposition parties urging them to expedite the Naga peace process.

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