Have personally approached BJP MLAs to work together: Zeliang

Opposition Naga Peoples Front (NPF) Legislature Party leader T R Zeliang said he has "personally" communicated to some MLAs of the ruling BJP his party's willingness to work together, if they are not happy with the NDPP, the alliance partner of the saffron party. Senior BJP leaders, however, said they have not received any feelers from the former chief minister and the party is comfortable with its senior alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

Zeliang said no official talks were held at the party level but only at the personal level between legislators of the two parties that had been in coalition for 15 long years in the state. "I told them that if you (BJP) are comfortable with the present alliance with the NDPP, go ahead and we will remain in the opposition. But if not, let us work together for the sake of the Naga political issue. NPF and BJP have smoothly functioned from 2003 to 2017 and there were no hiccups," the NPF stalwart told reporters here on Wednesday.

The BJP had snapped ties with the NPF before the February 27 Assembly election last year and forged an alliance with the NDPP - a party formed just before the polls with the then NPF leader Neiphiu Rio as its head. Asked whether the NPF is contemplating to merge with the BJP, Zeliang said, "We have not discussed it in our legislature forum." Reacting to the overture, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton, said "Zeliang might have approached some legislators but not the party." Patton, who is also the leader of BJP Legislature Party asserted that BJP is comfortable in its alliance with NDPP.

BJP state president and minister Temjen Imna Along said, "We have not received any feelers and we will not entertain them." The ruling People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) comprises 34 MLAs - 21 of the NDPP, 12 of the BJP and one Independent. The opposition NPF has 26 members in the 60- member Assembly..

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