Thepfulhouvi Solo
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] wanted to assess the percentage of Nagas who support the NSDZ program of the Government of Nagaland. I did not enquire from the top Government Officials because they are supposed to support the Government programs whether they like it or not: I enquired from the Uneducated Villagers less than from the educated population, because the NSDZ is a complicated Program supposedly for the prosperity of the State but the uneducated Villagers would not be able to clearly understand the attendant complicacies.
Nagas ritually desire for Development but when any human activity, even Prayer and Worship of the almighty God, becomes a Ritual, automation takes over and the core Issue is devalued.The language of the Concept Paper of Government NSDZ program, on closely scrutiny appears loose, hurried, impatient, often ‘beating about the bush’, than precise, meticulous, clear or solidly thrusting. On a quick reading of the paper, one gets the impression that it lacks Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity; it lacks overall carefulness in such a very important program.
The NSDZ is supposed to be a prosperity program for the State, but some of the Clauses are highly unsettling. One Clause says that the land will be acquired for allotment to people from outside the State. This is not permissible in the Land Regulation of the State where Land can not be sold to any outside the State.
After the surrender of the Revolution Government, high dignitaries in the State Power colluded with the high Powered in the Government of India and settled their Naga friends in the foothills of Nagaland; today quite a few Nagas fear high Officials of some Naga Armed Group may collude with Government of India for similar Land Settlement under the pretext of NSDZ. If it were to be true, it would be highly devious and serious betrayal of public Trust on the Freedom Fighters. It would then become very difficult for the simple, common Naga to trust the Sovereignty fighters.
The other day, we read in the Papers how a highly unethical Director of a Department in the Government of Nagaland flouted the established Norm of the Government and stole the Seat of a meritorious Student shamelessly for his/her own Son. If a high Naga Officer can behave like this under the open Sun, what can other Naga cannot do other things at night secretly? Nagas today must be very conscious of the Rights and question even supposedly suspicious heavenly proposals of the Government even.
It is true the Government does not intend to acquire the whole of the State and sell it to Ambanis or Mittals, but if there is a legislative loophole that enables Land to be acquired and allotted to people from outside the State under legal government Patta, then that is highly disturbing to many a conscientious Minds of this tiny State of Nagaland. Then, within a few generations the land may be alienated from the Nagas of Nagaland.
It is because of such dangers that NTC fights for the territorial Rights of its Member Tribes.
Rongmeis are Naga Brothers, they are Minorities in Nagaland, they and other Minorities in Nagaland should never be mistreated in the State and should be given due share given to others.
But one thing is very clear:
RONGMEI IS NOT A TRIBE IN THE INDIAN STATE OF NAGALAND: it has never been a Tribe in Nagaland BEFORE. Every Tribe of Nagaland has a separate Territory of its own: Rongmei does not have.
NTC have nothing against any Rongmei becoming Citizen of Nagaland for normal due political Right, but Rongmei unfortunately, was not a TRIBE of Nagaland State in Article 371A.
I do not like to be like a verbose litigant who wanting to appraise and impress the Judge presented the whole detail of his case but that only managed to confuse the Judge to the great disadvantage of the Litigant himself.
This is the reason why I tell the less educated and simple people of the State that it is better to continue to keep the land with the Land Owners themselves and not with Government as Patta Land. We would want our grand Children to be Landowners, not Landless people in their own State. Unlike in any other State in the vast Union of India, we have the singular privilege to keep our land to ourselves under Article 371A of the Constitution. Let us preserve it.
I have not an iota of doubt that the overwhelming conscientious majority of the educated in the State is decidedly against the Government NSDZ in its present form.
It is surprising; how the Government erred this time.
