Our Reporter
Dimapur, Nov. 26 (EMN): The much-awaited Hornbill Festival 2022 is set to kick off next week but the participation of seven tribes from eastern Nagaland still hangs in the balance, as the civil society organisations from the region have not given the green signal despite request from the state government to reconsider their decision.
The Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation (ENPO) had announced that it will not participate in the upcoming state’s annual cultural extravaganza, which will be held from December 1 to the 10th at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, citing “hardships faced by the participants” from the eastern region.
In an attempt to break the impasse, the state government delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met with the leaders of ENPO, Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation (ENWO), Eastern Nagaland Students' Federation (ENSF) and all the Tribal Hohos, at Rhododendron Hall, Central Police Officers' Mess, Chümoukedima, on Saturday to discuss the matter.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy CM Y Patton, Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Nagaland, S Pangnyu Phom and other ministers.
In an interaction with the media after the meeting, Chief Secretary J Alam said that the government had called the meeting with the leaders of civil society organisations from eastern Nagaland to discuss the resolution they had passed in connection with the Hornbill Festival 2022.
‘In the meeting, the government had made a request to the ENPO and all the Tribal Hohos from eastern Nagaland to reconsider their decision,’ he said.
Regarding the outcome of the meeting, he said that the government had placed its request and it is up to the ENPO now to reconsider its resolution or not.
Alam went on to inform that the house did not discuss the matter regarding ENPO’s declaration not to participate in any election process of the Centre and the state government till its demand for a separate state is granted.
The chief secretary also pointed out that the government had requested the ENPO not to restrict if any tribe from eastern Nagaland wants to participate in the upcoming Hornbill Festival.
After the meeting with the chief minister and other ministers, the leaders of ENPO had a separate meeting at the same location to discuss the matter but it appeared to be inconclusive.
When asked whether the tribes from eastern Nagaland will participate in the Hornbill Festival or stick to their earlier resolution, ENPO president Tsapikiu Sangtam said, “No comments”.
It may be mentioned that the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) had earlier sought the intervention of the Eastern Nagaland Gazetted Officers’ Association (ENGOA) for amicable resolution of the issue, maintaining that ‘the demand for statehood, which is political, and the
The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) had also appealed to the leaders and people of eastern Nagaland to reconsider their decision and join the celebration in unity and brotherhood as the chief minister had agreed to address the grievances raised by the ENPO.