Staff Reporter
Calling for expediting the Naga peace process, deputy chief minister Y Patton said it would not be possible for any elected legislator to step down within six months or one year once the Nagaland Legislative Assembly election took place.
He appealed to the Central leadership to expedite the Naga political settlement before the election if they wanted to have a peaceful atmosphere in Nagaland.
Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session on the concluding day of the 4th Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA) general conference held at Agri Expo on Tuesday, Patton shared details about the issues discussed during the recent meetings of Nagaland legislators led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio in New Delhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Patton claimed that the Prime Minister and Home Minister were urged to expedite the Naga political settlement and that a Central leader should visit the State on this year’s Independence Day celebrations to make the announcement that the issue had been resolved.
Informing the audience that Centre’s representative for Naga talks AK Mishra was in Nagaland and set to meet different organisations, he asked the civil society organisations (CSOs) and student bodies to let Mishra know that it had been 25 years since the signing of the ceasefire.
Patton assured that the State government led by Rio was committed to bring the much-needed changes in Nagaland. However, he added that it was not possible without people’s participation and therefore urged the CNSA and other CSOs to play an unbiased and impartial role for the benefit and betterment of the society.
Congratulating CNSA, Patton remarked that it was quite evident that CNSA had proactively been playing an active role in its own capacity resolving issues and raising genuine concerns for the welfare of the State. But yet, there were some challenges Central Nagaland people were facing that required redressal at the earliest.
As a student body, he said CNSA had a big role to play so that everyone could come up to a certain level in terms of development and progress.
Although Lothas, Aos, and Sumis were considered advanced, Patton said there were pockets in the three districts that were economically more backward that other districts. Citing examples of Mangkolemba in Mokokchung district, Satoi and Agunato in Zunheboto district and Bhandari in Wokha district, he called on the three tribes to fight for economic development of the three districts, noting that while Nagaland Polytechnic, the only one of its kind in the State, was at Atoizu, there was a need for a full-fledged engineering college and a government law college in Nagaland.
Noting that the Global Open University that was supposed to be at Wokha town had been shifted to Chümoukedima, he urged CNSA to speak on all these issues.
Patton mentioned that legislators would have a sitting on April 21, during which various issues would be discussed, including the superannuation age of government doctors.
Delivering his speech as a special guest, senior NPF legislator Imkong L Imchen observed that Naga people had been talking about Naga political issue for the last 70 years, but he said he felt that the boundary of the settlement had not been properly demarcated. So while one wanted to unify all Nagas, the question was whether this would be possible and viable, he added.
He emphasised that Nagas of Nagaland had not been authorised to take the responsibility of integrating all Nagas and that even Nagas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam could be integrated as long as the Constitution of India existed.
On the Foothill Road, Imchen said the road was popular because it wasn’t there and construction was not taking place.
He mentioned that the districts had been neglected beyond reasonable limit and that, instead of equitable development, focus was given on the development of other districts at the expense of Mokokchung, Wokha and Zunheboto.
The conference was also attended by legislator Moatoshi Longkumer and adviser Dr Longrineken.
In his speech, Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) president Chingmak Chang declared that the federation was going ahead with its scheduled indefinite agitation from April 21 over State government’s failure to address its demand for inclusion of exempted posts in Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB).
A greetings speech was also delivered by CNTC president T Lanu Imchen.
At the programme, invocation prayer was proposed by Diphupar Lotha Baptist Church pastor reverend Limhathung Lotha and presidential address was delivered by CNSA president Himato Yeptho.