Thepfulhouvi Solo
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] am not sure whether it was a Cabinet decision or not but it was during Late Mr. Vizol’s time that Nagaland refused to join the North East Council. After that, the infamous Emergency Mrs. Indira Gandhi declared forced Nagaland into the NEC.
During the President’s Rule, the Bureaucrats pushed Nagaland into the North East Council against the consent of the State.
To go a little deeper into the topic under discussion; we would do well to consider a little more of the ‘Costs/Benefits’ to Nagaland of joining the Council.
Firstly, there is the sage saying that: ‘Man does not live by Bread alone’. Economy of our State is a very important question in deed, but we need not worry very much about Nagaland Economy: if there is good Government, there will be good Economy. Therefore the condition of a State’s Economy depends principally on the Government and the People; not on luck or land Resources alone.
It is wonderfully amazing and interesting to read a little into why the Naga Dobahis and some small time Government Servants in the Employ of the British Raj in 19th century refused lumping of the Nagas into the great Scheme of the Indian Sub-continent. None of the Petitioners of the important Petition to the Simon Commission in 1929 are alive today to tell us the reasons why they rejected to join Assam.
The reasons for their aversion to join the ‘Indian Arrangement’ were stated in no uncertain Terms in the Petition itself in simple uncomplicated English. In simple language; they cited the treatment they commonly faced from the Hindus and Muslims from India’s mainland: The Hindus: for Nagas eating Beef, and the Muslims: for the Pork.
Religious and Racial differences are mental characteristics, very difficult to remove easily from the Public in India despite a constitutional guarantee. It is amazing to imagine today nearly a hundred years after, that the people of the North East face the same problem because of their skin color and the look in their face in the modern metropolitan Cities of India!
The Nagas decision not to join India was political and when he saw the Naga Petition, Sir Simon’s Boss in UK is said to have remarked: “the so-called primitive Nagas saw their destiny beyond the wildest imagination of even Simon himself”.
The bureaucracy pushing Nagaland into the NEC is mainly for reasons of Indian National Interest. If it were Economic; the Centre could have evolved specific Economic Planning separately for each State according to each need. After according 7 separate States in the North East over a period 20 odd years -firstly and particularly to Nagaland for its irrefutable Political historic Reasons under a political Agreement between the Nagas and the Government of India- it is unreasonable, if there is no reason, to attempt to Integrate them together again unless the States on their own volition democratically decide to form a Confederate like the European Common Market.
As for Nagaland, to seek political or economic aims from a common North East Platform is to negate the special, separate political status for Nagaland enshrined in the Constitution of India.
While Nagaland may do many, many things possible to co-operate with other States, the Writer’s view is that Nagaland’s Political Players do not compromise with others, neighbors or not, -the special, peculiar, historical political gains Nagaland already has.
