The demand for frontier state did come quite as an unprecedented surprise and caught many people impromptu. At a time when fragile peace is dawning and reconciliation progressing, this demand came as an abrupt shock at the most inopportune time. But what could be that grave reason behind that merit asking for statehood by ENPO. On close observation, the entire issue revolve around economic backwardness rather than political.
Now the question is who is responsible for this underdevelopment? The state govt., legislators, bureaucrats, govt. of India, underground or the people themselves. If corruption is the reason for underdevelopment, than we have better think of electoral reforms. Politicians & elites of those areas are responsible for many things & the govt. and the legislators concern are to be blame for their complacency to development. People themselves are also to be blame for electing wrong leaders at the same time compelling them to become corrupt for varied reasons best known to them. Leaders can’t be expected to cloth & feed us at the same time do development but they are elected to work for us so that we get food to eat, clothes to wear at the sweat of our brow and not throng around him like swarm of bees sucking its nectar.
But the million dollar question is, is the dreamt state achievable? Astoundingly, concern legislators, civil society leaders, nationalist, tried to play safe by evading such pertinent question saying no comment. If they don’t have, who will? This indicates the loss of vision our leaders are in today & thats the reason why our society & state is not progressing.
Will New Delhi just happily offer the same on a platter saying its long strayed son has returned? To be frank, Nagas are too small & insignificant in the eye of New Delhi to create any impact outside North East (NE) or the govt. at Delhi. The present state of Nagaland was created under intense political compulsion which is even smaller than a district of other larger states and the population is even lesser than a single city of India. India has also realized that creation of small states in NE did not necessarily addressed the aspiration of the people with chronic insurgency everywhere though it has drained the centre exchequer funding this unproductive states with 90% grant & 10% loan unlike other states of 30% grant & 70% loan. To bifurcate this small Nagaland again just to be fed by centre tax payer is absolutely unrealistic. It is economically unviable & politically & administratively unnecessary from center’s view of point. Nagaland is not the only problems facing India. Leave alone Nagaland the whole NE is damned in the eye of New Delhi as the recent wikileak confirms. Though it is most unlikely to concede to such demands but it does amuses them to see a community of people seeking separation among them who profess to be a different entity.
New Delhi knows that creation of Nagaland did not quell the Naga unrest and is not likely to create more state & still let insurgency thrive. If at all it wants to solve the Naga question, it will opt. for onetime solution to settle the matter once and for all & not in parts. Centre don’t always percept things the way we do & the most unfortunate thing is it listen only when the guns bangs loud and act when pressured to the core as far as dealing with NE is concerned. There is virtually nothing substantial achieved so far in NE through peaceful method or gandhian satyagraha.
From the Naga political point, it will result in serious political ramification and implication and poses undue impediments to the final settlement of the Naga issue. It has a chance of fomenting more enmity & conflict within the Nagas themselves and don’t augers well for the future Naga predicament and might feed further feelings of disenfranchisement and distrust consequencing the Nagas to go down in history as defeated and failed people. Politicians & outside elements will always try to exploit such fission for their own political mileage. Naga chequered history is full of political debacle & can’t afford to create more. It better & advisable for the eastern brethren to demand what can be gotten from the state govt. rather than begging to the big bosses at Delhi who hardly consider us as full citizens.
In fact the whole of Nagaland is thoroughly undeveloped though the eastern parts are unfortunately less developed. Lack of infrastructure, unemployment, rampant extortion, backwardness, ailing university, et. etc. The latest national papers like ‘The Hindu’ reaches the capital normally two days late at this age of science & technology. All regional central institutions are in other states. Kohima is only the capital of the rich; traffic woes, water problems, exorbitant price & housing, et. etc. When other capitals have four lane highway, airport, parks, rail, etc, Kohima is thoroughly unplanned & undeveloped & technically in no way befits a capital. A time for capital shift is approaching. A day or two of economic blockade & we are on the brink of starvation & Nagaland is too small & pathetic to cope with such problems which can be best met through transportation of goods from one region to another in a bigger state.
Our nationalists are hopelessly divided with all symptoms of criminality in them & have no comment towards a divisionist trend that will definitely undermine the whole cause itself. But if this is the handiwork of some underground elements than the entire gamut of Naga cause is at stake. Govt. makes tall promises but hardly fulfils & the ministers can afford to niggardly stoop to their position even in the face of outright scandals.
Where have all the able, dynamic & shrewd leaders gone to make us proud & stand taller in the midst of our neighbors. The pioneers of yesterday were visionaries & broadminded enough to envision a nation but the leaders of today are hell bent on division after division but can’t fathom anything better.
Fifty-five years of armed conflict, Nagas have achieved only enmity, backwardness, division, etc. our people have become easy stooges of outside elements who wish to see us weak & divided. So many people to play ace divisionist but none to unite. This is the time for consolidation not separation. All this while people groan silently hopping things would soon change for the better. The demand for frontier state is the manifestation of simmering frustration long borne by the illiterate poor villagers who suffered no less from our own underground guys than Indian armed forces. Widening economic gap, huge influx of immigrants, abject backwardness, etc. the scepter of future catastrophe is looming large & frontier state may just be the beginning if Nagas are not careful. Even after knowing the fact that nothing concrete will arrive until the factions unite they still chooses to niggardly stay separate for their own ulterior motive & the over ground organization asking for more division, the young concern generation of today bowed in shame & lament, why did the movement start at all in the first place.
Nations are coalescing together for common interest today like European Union as bigger state is more conducive for economic and political stability after millennium of diffusion & wars & history is best not repeated in Naga Theater.
But the economic grievances of the ENPO are genuine enough & should act as eye opener for the govt. to focus east to ameliorate their lot to come at par with the rest. But change is spontaneous & until things start from the grass root village level itself no govt. or authority will make much difference. Only the few elites would gain from all lofty plans & schemes through politician-bureaucratic nexus & the common people will be still at square one. Nevertheless, the present govt. can’t be said to be doing nothing. Peace has dawn & things are changing though asynchronous. The ENPO should be pragmatic & lobby what best can be extracted from the state govt. rather than romanticizing an idealist state.
Now the question is who is responsible for this underdevelopment? The state govt., legislators, bureaucrats, govt. of India, underground or the people themselves. If corruption is the reason for underdevelopment, than we have better think of electoral reforms. Politicians & elites of those areas are responsible for many things & the govt. and the legislators concern are to be blame for their complacency to development. People themselves are also to be blame for electing wrong leaders at the same time compelling them to become corrupt for varied reasons best known to them. Leaders can’t be expected to cloth & feed us at the same time do development but they are elected to work for us so that we get food to eat, clothes to wear at the sweat of our brow and not throng around him like swarm of bees sucking its nectar.
But the million dollar question is, is the dreamt state achievable? Astoundingly, concern legislators, civil society leaders, nationalist, tried to play safe by evading such pertinent question saying no comment. If they don’t have, who will? This indicates the loss of vision our leaders are in today & thats the reason why our society & state is not progressing.
Will New Delhi just happily offer the same on a platter saying its long strayed son has returned? To be frank, Nagas are too small & insignificant in the eye of New Delhi to create any impact outside North East (NE) or the govt. at Delhi. The present state of Nagaland was created under intense political compulsion which is even smaller than a district of other larger states and the population is even lesser than a single city of India. India has also realized that creation of small states in NE did not necessarily addressed the aspiration of the people with chronic insurgency everywhere though it has drained the centre exchequer funding this unproductive states with 90% grant & 10% loan unlike other states of 30% grant & 70% loan. To bifurcate this small Nagaland again just to be fed by centre tax payer is absolutely unrealistic. It is economically unviable & politically & administratively unnecessary from center’s view of point. Nagaland is not the only problems facing India. Leave alone Nagaland the whole NE is damned in the eye of New Delhi as the recent wikileak confirms. Though it is most unlikely to concede to such demands but it does amuses them to see a community of people seeking separation among them who profess to be a different entity.
New Delhi knows that creation of Nagaland did not quell the Naga unrest and is not likely to create more state & still let insurgency thrive. If at all it wants to solve the Naga question, it will opt. for onetime solution to settle the matter once and for all & not in parts. Centre don’t always percept things the way we do & the most unfortunate thing is it listen only when the guns bangs loud and act when pressured to the core as far as dealing with NE is concerned. There is virtually nothing substantial achieved so far in NE through peaceful method or gandhian satyagraha.
From the Naga political point, it will result in serious political ramification and implication and poses undue impediments to the final settlement of the Naga issue. It has a chance of fomenting more enmity & conflict within the Nagas themselves and don’t augers well for the future Naga predicament and might feed further feelings of disenfranchisement and distrust consequencing the Nagas to go down in history as defeated and failed people. Politicians & outside elements will always try to exploit such fission for their own political mileage. Naga chequered history is full of political debacle & can’t afford to create more. It better & advisable for the eastern brethren to demand what can be gotten from the state govt. rather than begging to the big bosses at Delhi who hardly consider us as full citizens.
In fact the whole of Nagaland is thoroughly undeveloped though the eastern parts are unfortunately less developed. Lack of infrastructure, unemployment, rampant extortion, backwardness, ailing university, et. etc. The latest national papers like ‘The Hindu’ reaches the capital normally two days late at this age of science & technology. All regional central institutions are in other states. Kohima is only the capital of the rich; traffic woes, water problems, exorbitant price & housing, et. etc. When other capitals have four lane highway, airport, parks, rail, etc, Kohima is thoroughly unplanned & undeveloped & technically in no way befits a capital. A time for capital shift is approaching. A day or two of economic blockade & we are on the brink of starvation & Nagaland is too small & pathetic to cope with such problems which can be best met through transportation of goods from one region to another in a bigger state.
Our nationalists are hopelessly divided with all symptoms of criminality in them & have no comment towards a divisionist trend that will definitely undermine the whole cause itself. But if this is the handiwork of some underground elements than the entire gamut of Naga cause is at stake. Govt. makes tall promises but hardly fulfils & the ministers can afford to niggardly stoop to their position even in the face of outright scandals.
Where have all the able, dynamic & shrewd leaders gone to make us proud & stand taller in the midst of our neighbors. The pioneers of yesterday were visionaries & broadminded enough to envision a nation but the leaders of today are hell bent on division after division but can’t fathom anything better.
Fifty-five years of armed conflict, Nagas have achieved only enmity, backwardness, division, etc. our people have become easy stooges of outside elements who wish to see us weak & divided. So many people to play ace divisionist but none to unite. This is the time for consolidation not separation. All this while people groan silently hopping things would soon change for the better. The demand for frontier state is the manifestation of simmering frustration long borne by the illiterate poor villagers who suffered no less from our own underground guys than Indian armed forces. Widening economic gap, huge influx of immigrants, abject backwardness, etc. the scepter of future catastrophe is looming large & frontier state may just be the beginning if Nagas are not careful. Even after knowing the fact that nothing concrete will arrive until the factions unite they still chooses to niggardly stay separate for their own ulterior motive & the over ground organization asking for more division, the young concern generation of today bowed in shame & lament, why did the movement start at all in the first place.
Nations are coalescing together for common interest today like European Union as bigger state is more conducive for economic and political stability after millennium of diffusion & wars & history is best not repeated in Naga Theater.
But the economic grievances of the ENPO are genuine enough & should act as eye opener for the govt. to focus east to ameliorate their lot to come at par with the rest. But change is spontaneous & until things start from the grass root village level itself no govt. or authority will make much difference. Only the few elites would gain from all lofty plans & schemes through politician-bureaucratic nexus & the common people will be still at square one. Nevertheless, the present govt. can’t be said to be doing nothing. Peace has dawn & things are changing though asynchronous. The ENPO should be pragmatic & lobby what best can be extracted from the state govt. rather than romanticizing an idealist state.
