Dimapur, April 15 (MExN): There are indications that some frontal organizations representing the eastern regions of Nagaland would lead in boycotting the coming Nagaland state assembly elections to pressurize the State into conceding to the “ENPO demand.” Further, in order to “voice their anguish” they also plan on closing down public offices if the ENPO demand ‘made no progress.’ The “ENPO demand,” as it has come to be known now, refers to the demand of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organization (ENPO) for a separate state carved out of present Nagaland.
The Bharatiya Janata Party of the Nagaland unit toured the eastern regions during the second week of April. The BJP team was led by P Chandrashekar Rao, general secretary for the North East and M Chuba, president of the Nagaland BJP.
The BJP issued a press release today offering an account of the tour and concurrent interactions held with frontal organizations in the eastern regions. The BJP leaders visited Mon, Longleng and Tuensang and interacted with leaders of various eastern tribal councils and organizations.
According to the BJP, former legislators, leaders of local organizations including the Phom Council and Phom GB Association in Longleng expressed “uncertainty” at the region’s participation in the forthcoming assembly polls.
“The Phom Council President Shri Pukyong, besides ex MLAs and president of the Phom GB Association in Longleng, expressed the uncertainty of participating in the next Assembly elections if there be no progress in the ENPO demand,” the BJP said in its press release.
Likewise, the party said, the Joint Tribal Councils of Chang, Khiamnungan, Yimchunger and Sangtam expressed deep resentment at what they claimed is “disparities of development.” For this they intend to “voice their anguish” by closing down public offices if the ENPO demand ‘made no progress.’ The Konyak Union, ENPO State demand Steering Committee besides leaders of other political parties and youth leaders gave justifications to what they claimed is a “reasonable demand.” The local leaders are claiming being ‘shortchanged in the actual fund allocation” which they assert “led to this situation.”
During the tour, Chandrashekar Rao highlighted the National Democratic Alliance’s role during the coalition’s governance in India as well as its role as the current main opposition in the country. The BJP leader assured the local leaders that he would ‘pass on the message as requested by the leaders of the tribal councils.’
M Chuba and other state party leaders also expressed concern over what they called is the “large scale underdevelopment of the ENPO region but asked to have faith in the NDA BJP government’s concern for the peoples’ welfare at every nook and corner of the country.”
The party observed what it said is the “poor infrastructural sights” in the visited areas. The roads in the Aboi, Longleng and Tuensang sectors ‘don’t fit within the description of roads’, the press release said.
“These ‘roadless roads’ nearly claimed one of the party’s vehicles. The main supply road to the region, from Sonari to Mon, as well as the roads within Mon town appeared more like prepared paddy fields waiting for the monsoon. If this is to reflect the other infrastructural aspects of the region, then it all appears that the ENPO region has been largely ignored. The disparity of development between ENPO region and the other parts of the state could be 2:6 or 2:8. And it is a question whether this disparity is in consonance with the actual allocation of funds in the same ratio,” the Nagaland BJP stated.
It is informed that the BJP district party workers of the region as well as of Mokokchung and Wokha also held meetings with the party’s top leaders during brief stopovers.
