Nagaland’s Founding Fathers

 It has been 58 years after Nagaland became the 16th state under the Indian union on December 1,1963. This even had a beginning when the founding fathers of Nagaland state representing various tribes held a series of public meetings under the aegis of Naga People’s Convention (NPC) with the government of India to seek a way out of the hellish nightmare that people in Naga Hills and Tuensang Frontier Division (under NEFA) were facing. The NPC withstood all dangers from those who condemned any negotiation which was deemed as ‘surrender’. Those against the NPC vowed for total political independence and nothing less. The NPC’s negotiations with the government of India led to formation of one administrative unit called Naga Hills Tuensang Area (NHTA) through merger of Naga Hills district and Tuensang Frontier Division(under NEFA) in 1957. However, NPC pursued for better status and eventually signed the 16 Point Agreement with the government of India, which was believed to be almost a carbon copy of the 9-Point Agreement signed between representatives of the Naga National Council (NNC) led by its president Aliba Imti and joint secretary T.Sakhrie with Governor of Assam Sir Akbar Hydari on June 26, 1947. The 9 point agreement fell through when certain developments overshadowed it. NPC pressed for full statehood and the government of India acceded to the demand by signing the 16 Point Agreement in July 1960. The first step towards statehood began when on February 18,1961 a five-member Interim Executive Council headed by the NPC president Dr.Imkongliba Ao as its first chairman and P.Shilu Ao as the first Chief Executive Councilor. Most tragically Dr.Imkongliba was martyred for what he stood for, on August 26,1961 at the hands of an assassin at Mokokchung town. Then in 1962, Parliament then gave the constitutional nod for formation of the new state ‘Nagaland’ in December 1,1963. It may be recalled that India’s second president Dr.S. Radhakrishnan flew by chopper to Kohima on December 1,1963 to inaugurate India’s 16th state. However, this most historic date goes largely unnoticed since December 1 also happens to be the beginning of the 10-day Hornbill Festival. All the focus of attention has been on the festival and at times, it is quite strange that the state neglects to put on record the importance of the day. It also shows how the state and its leaders seem to be suggesting that they either care less or don’t care at all. The mindset also exposes how the vain pursuit of pleasure has overtaken the sense of acknowledging the services rendered by the founding fathers of Nagaland. It may also be noted that Nagaland enjoys a super special constitutional status under Article 371A which some legal experts say, is far superior to Article 370 that existed for Jammu and Kashmir. The legal experts say while Article 370 was constitutionally a temporary provision that accorded special status for J&K, the Article 371A on the other hand was a constitutional guarantee. The NPC leaders could have accepted the pre-1960 status but they pressed on determinedly and were able to negotiate a state with full guarantee. In this, perhaps people of Nagaland should acknowledge their founding fathers who led Nagas to a tryst with destiny.