This time, ‘indigenous minority tribes’ decry alleged government ‘conspiracy to alienate sons of the soil’
Dimapur, Nov. 27 (EMN): The office of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Speaker appears to be hurtling from one embarrassment to another in the run-up to the consultation on Naga political issue which it has scheduled on Dec. 4 next.
First, it was the Central Nagaland Tribes Council. Then the rest followed: Nagaland Tribes Council, Senior Citizen Forum, Nagaland GB Federation – all those organisations were not extended invitation to the consultation. For the past few days, the Speaker’s office has been reeling off fresh invitations.
On Monday the Indigenous Minority Tribes of Nagaland (IMTN) – a platform that represents four ‘indigenous aboriginal recognized tribes’ of Nagaland: Kuki, Kachari, Garo and Mikir/Karbi – also expressed displeasure at the left out of the consultation. A press release from the organisation termed it as a ‘discriminatory attitude’ of the present government and ‘and particularly the Speaker’.
“IMTN like to remind the NLA speaker that the four tribes has played its role and made its sacrifices on the Naga political movement from its earliest day of its inception till date, the like of being a member of Naga Club to signing of the historical documents like the Simon Commission by Lenjang Kuki where many of the present so-called stakeholders tribes (sic) were not even remotely present during those days.
“Likewise, the participation of Late Seihkohen Doungel and Jangkhosei Hangsing in the formation of the first Naga political organization under the banner of NNC and even becoming member of the drafting committee of the NNC constitution with legendary leaders like AZ Phizo, Sakhrie, etc., is a fact of our participation in Naga political movement from its initial days till date in various NPG holding different post and positions,” the statement read.
It stated that those four communities were mostly inhabitants of Dimapur and Peren. It was ‘due to the magnanimity of the Kachari community that Dimapur became part of Nagaland even before the statehood of Nagaland’.
According to the IMTN, if the proposed political consultation does not cover the ‘areas, interest and land’ inhabited by the four communities then it has no objection to their ‘alienation’ and ‘discriminatory attitude’ of the government.
“...but assuming from the statement of various political leaders of both NPG groups and GOI-the areas inhabited by the four minority indigenous recognized tribes seems very much part of the negotiations by various NPGs, then the omission of these group shows the discriminatory attitude and alienation of its legitimate stakeholders in such crucial stage of our political movement,” it stated.
The omission of all those organisations was an indication of the “hollowness and discriminatory attitude in keeping the sons of the soil away from discussing issues relating to their traditional and ancestral lands and issues within their own state of Nagaland,” it asserted.
The ‘attempt and conspiracy’ to keep away the indigenous recognized tribes of Nagaland speaks volume of the present government’s real intent, according to the IMTN. “The IMTN request on behalf of the indigenous recognized aboriginal tribes of Nagaland – Kuki, Kachari, Garo and Mikir/Karbi – to invite this (sic) groups/tribes in such critical junction of our Naga political movement,” it stated.
