Accuses NSF of mobilising ‘our own children to fight against us’
Our Correspondent Kohima, Nov. 23 (EMN): In the backdrop of the impasse between the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) and the newly revived Naga Club over the installation of Naga Club centenary monolith at the Naga Club building site in Kohima, which is presently occupied by the NSF, the club issued a ‘public notice’ on Friday informing it would shift both the monolith and the centenary celebration to Jotsoma village. The ‘public notice’ stated that the Naga Club regrets the “two ugly occasions” where the NSF and the club nearly got into physical confrontations during the installation of the monolith. “After several attempts for amicable settlement by some prominent citizens of Kohima, the third attempt to install the monolith turned out to endanger lives as the NSF has issued severe threats and mobilised our own children to fight against us. As the Naga Club Centenary is to celebrate the legacy of unity, we as an elderly and responsible organisation do not want to stain our Naga Club monolith and the celebration but only fulfil the sacred duty,” the notice stated. It added, “The last attempt to make amicable settlement with the NSF was made by some senior citizens on 21.11.18 at Hotel De Oriental, Kohima who brought out a public declaration which says ‘the Naga Club with the present erection of monolith is required to undertake all future developments taking the Naga public, especially the NSF, a major stakeholder, into confidence always’ is unfortunately flimsy for the simple reason that NSF members being our children they are always part and parcel of the Naga Club. It may further be pertinent to point out that neither the monolith nor the club’s plot is the property of NSF nor Naga Club is a subordinate body of NSF so as to require the consent or approval of the NSF.” According to the notice, the newly revived Naga Club after thorough deliberation, decided to erect the monolith at the ‘Naga National Cemetery’ in Jotsoma in order to avoid ‘unnecessary confrontation and further repercussions.’ “The centenary celebration shall be now held at Centenary Ground, Baptist Church Jotsoma, Nagaland on Thursday November 29, 2018 at 11 am,” the notice, supposedly issued by the ‘publicity committee centenary celebration, Naga Club’, stated. The NSF had issued a statement on Nov. 22 acknowledging the concern expressed by some senior citizens who had intervened to broker peace between the NSF and the club. It asserted to honour and abide by the public declaration made by the ‘elders/senior leaders’ as they believed it was done with the ‘best of intentions and to strengthen unity and understanding among the Naga people.’