New Nagaland CM faces opposition, long to-do list

A section of Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislators had not immediately agreed to accept Zeliang as chief minister. Zeliang, who was minister for planning under Neiphiu dropped five ministers of Neiphiu’s team, including health and family welfare minister Imkong L Imchen. All of them had projected Noke Wangnao as chief minister. Zeliang also pulled off a coup of sorts by inducting Wangnao as cabinet minister.

Imkong, a heavyweight from Mokokchung district, was all along considered a confidant of Neiphiu.

A former student leader who stepped into politics as a Youth Congress member, Zeliang fought his first assembly election in 1982 as an independent candidate from Tening. He shifted to the now-defunct Naga National Democratic Party (NNDP) to contest in 1987 and lost. In 1989, he won as a Naga People’s Council (NPC) candidate, and then was elected on a Congress ticket in 1993, 1998 and 2003. After that he defected to support NPF and Neiphiu, who was then state home minister. Zeliang had a stint in Rajya Sabha (2004-08).

On Saturday, Zeliang outlined his priorities, which includes an early solution to the Naga issue. Assuring he will work in consonance with the new government at the Centre for early solution of the Naga political problem to usher in permanent peace and development, Zeliang said, “We can expect hard decisions (for the Naga issue) and we hope we will benefit from such decisions.”

Top NSCN(IM) leaders including chairman Issak Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah left for New Delhi last week, with indications that the next round of talks with the central government will be held in the first week of June.

R S Pandey, the Centre’s principal interlocutor in the talks joined BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

With Neiphiu likely to be inducted into the Modi cabinet things will not be too difficult for Zeliang, especially in getting investments to Nagaland in tourism and infrastructure. Among announcements after taking over as chief minister, Zeliang said he would constitute a State Investment Board, and give a fresh look at mineral resources in light of oil exploration remaining suspended for nearly two decades in the hill state.

Zeliang has to befriend neighbours, especially Assam, in view of pending inter-state border disputes that has led to violence claiming lives and damaging property. NPF is a member of the North-east Regional Political Parties Forum (NERPP) headed by Neiphiu.