Former Lok Sabha speaker and Nationalist Congress Party leader Purno A Sangma on Thursday flayed the Centre's decision to impose President's rule in Nagaland and termed it as a ploy to rig the ensuing assembly election.

Terming the move to impose President's Rule in Nagaland where next Assembly elections are due in February unconstitutional, Sangma said such decision by the Congress without consulting allies in the UPA was tantamount to scrapping of the Anti-Defection Law.

"It is a Congress design to destablise the region and manipulate the forthcoming Assembly election in Nagaland. The move is quite unethical given that the Congress did not consult its allies in the UPA, including the Left Parties, before recommending enforcement of the Article 356 in Nagaland," Sangma said.

The term of the BJP-backed Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio was to end in March this year.

Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, has condemned the move and termed the move illegal and unconstitutional as he had come to power only after being elected democratically.

Rio won a trust vote in Nagaland assembly on December 13. The motion was defeated 23-19 in the 60-member House after the Speaker had barred three independent legislators from taking part in the voting. The speaker also held the votes of nine dissident legislators of the BJP-backed ruling coalition invalid.