Kohima, March 16 (DIPR): Discussion on matters of urgent public importance under Rule 50 marked the day on March 16 at the ongoing 11th session of the Eleventh Nagaland Legislative Assembly. Initiating the discussion, MLA C.L. John raised the issue pertaining to the Demand for Frontier Nagaland by Eastern Nagaland Public Organisation (ENPO). He informed the House that ENPO submitted a memorandum on 25th November 2010 to the Prime Minister of India, demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland State. Seeking the comments of the State government, a copy of the said memorandum was forwarded to the State government by the GoI, Ministry of Home Affairs on 8th December 2010.
MLA John further informed the House about the Cabinet meeting held on 18th January 2011, where it appealed to the ENPO to withdraw their demand in the larger interest of the Nagas. Further the Cabinet during its meeting on 23rd July 2011, after deliberations of recommendations, findings and reports from various committees and sub-committee proposed formation of autonomous council/Authority comprising of the four districts. The decision was conveyed to the GoI and intimated to ENPO, but the offer of the State government was not accepted, he stated.
The MLA further regretted that despite the many efforts of the State government to redress the grievance of the people, the ENPO issue confronting the Nagas still remains to be resolved and hence felt the need for discussion of the issue on the floor of the House.
MLA K.L. Chishi participating in the discussion attributed the failure of resolving ENPO issue to the successive government. He opined that legislators and bureaucrats need to re-examine and introspect their commitments and sincerity towards the backward areas with special reference to ENPO. He also emphasised on infrastructure and human resource development as two important aspects of development.
MLA Tokheho also shared his concern and opined that the ENPO issue needs to be addressed with commitment and sincerity. ‘We should ponder and see where the failure lies so that we will be able to live together as we have been for so many years’, he observed. MLA Longon who also participated in the discussion, voiced his concerned for proper implementation of the 25% job reservation for the ENPO people. He further sought the support and cooperation of the bureaucrats/technocrats to look into the plight of ENPO, stating that the elected members along could not address the ENPO issue.
Deliberating on the discussion MLA Chuba Chang said that the Eastern Nagas are not against any member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly or not any Naga individual or tribe as a whole. He said that the reason to why the demand by the ENPO arises is because of culmination of long pending issues. ‘May be we did not take the issues seriously’, he added. He expressed that if the Nagas work in the spirit of brotherhood the problems and issues of the Eastern Nagas will be solved.
Agreeing with Chuba Chang, Minister for Forest M.C. Konyak said that there is not anti Naga feeling with the Eastern Nagas. However with passing of time and lack of development the feeling of discrimination arose among the Eastern Nagas. He said that there is still room to erase the feeling of discrimination and continue to live together.
MLA S.I. Jamir while sharing his views said that if one takes political mileage out of the ENPO issue the problem would still persist. He called on the legislators to put party aside and sink in the differences to sort out the problem once and for all. MLA C. Apok also said that before we pay a heavy price, all of us have to see that unity prevails.
The discussion on matters of urgent public importance under Rule 50 will continue on Saturday the 17th March 2012.
