Rising People’s Party workers led by their President Joel Naga visited the restive border area of Tzürangkong under Mokokchung district where they met Tzürangkong Naga Youth Front, Northern Sumi Hoho and other public leaders at Chungtiayimsen Village, Mokokchung on July 22. (Photo Courtesy: RPP)
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | July 22
The Rising People’s Party (RPP) led by its President Joel Naga visited Tzürangkong valley in Mokokchung district today where they met the locals and interacted with public organizations. The 10-member RPP team met the Tzürangkong Naga Youth Front, Northern Sumi Hoho and other public leaders at Chungtiayimsen village. Tzürangkong is located in the border with Assam and was in the news recently over an inter-state border crisis between Nagaland and Assam.
RPP President Joel Naga said that they visited Tzürangkong as Nagas and as a political party to share solidarity with the people living in the border area. He said that the people there voiced their harrowing grievances and frustration to the new political party, while accusing the State government of negligence.
“The people there are orphaned. The State government is neglecting their fundamental duty, that is, safeguarding the lives of the people. This is unfortunate, uncalled for and condemnable,” Joel Naga said. According to him, apart from the local MLA, no other elected representative has visited the area since the recent border crisis and the state government is mum on the issue.
“We sensed frustration. The issue is very sensitive. If anything happens to our people, the State government will be held directly responsible,” he said.
Joel Naga said that the Assam government was employing a “proactive policy” on the border and added that the Nagaland State government must take counter steps, warning that “we may even see a situation of violence.”
Levelling blame on all the 60 legislators of Nagaland government, the RPP chief alleged that they were least bothered about the people but only concerned about preserving their present positions and summoned them to “set their priorities right.” Saying that the State governments of Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have taken strong stance against Assam government, the RPP president questioned, “What is the government of Nagaland doing?”
Senior RPP leader and member of its Working Group, Hukavi Yeputhomi said that solution to the border issue lies in Nagaland State government withdrawing from the ‘1972 interim agreement’ with Assam and demanded the Nagaland government do so immediately. He reasoned that the border areas will continue to remain ‘Disturbed Area Belt’ so long as the Nagaland government upholds the 1972 agreement. “Removing the DAB tag is to bring direct civil administration and police to the area,” he explained, adding that Nagaland withdrawing from the 1972 agreement was RPP’s core demand on the border issue.
RPP Treasurer, Vitho Zao, also said that the border crisis was further compounded by the influx of illegal immigrants to the area. According to Zao, the Tzürangkong people said that the supposedly “neutral force” at the border was biased in favour of Assam. He also claimed that the Tzürangkong people were much encouraged by the RPP’s visit today.
Lambasting the Nagaland State government for not uttering even a word when the Assam Chief Minister recently declared that they would be raising ten new commando battalions to be stationed along Assam-Nagaland border, RPP chief Joel Naga said that, “The whole State government ought to be at Tzürangkong by now. This shows that their heart is not with the people.” He said that people in Tzürangkong were living under constant harassment as while ancestral Naga lands were being encroached upon, “elements from Assam side” regularly impose economic blockades. He suggested that the Foothill Road should be made motorable immediately.
Joel Naga also said that the border crisis, be it in Mokokchung, Wokha, Longleng or Mon should not be viewed from a tribal prism and called upon the Naga public, NGOs, CSOs and right thinking citizens to exert pressure on the State government, saying, “This is a Naga issue.”
Remove Disturbed Area Belt tag: TNYF
Meanwhile, the Tzürangkong Naga Youth Front (TNYF) issued a statement demanding the government of Nagaland to initiate action with the Union of India and government of Assam to remove the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB) tag from all the Naga inhabited areas within the State of Nagaland bordering Assam.
TNYF, President, Bendangwati and General Secretary, Shiluyongdang stated that the DAB tag is more advantageous to the interest of Assam and is causing a lot of hardships to the inhabitants of the area.
The Forum also demanded the State government to remove all the armed Assam police camps established inside Nagaland at the earliest possible time to avoid any undesired consequences.
