Athikho Kaisü
The aspiration of the Nagas to live in a single political unit is by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, the memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929 for the exclusion of the Nagas in the reorganization plan on the ground that they had never been under the control of any authority but governed by themselves based on customary laws and practices tells it all. Though the petition has been ignored by the Commission, it has set the course for the Nagas to struggle to live in a single political unit and for a Naga national identity.
It is the Nagas’ constant mission to liberate from the arbitrary and imposed territory since the inception of their national movement. Right from the beginning of the Naga national movement, the founding fathers were well aware of the fact that there is no solution without integration of territory. The struggle for territorial integration and self-determination is an integral part of their freedom movement. In no ambiguous term the Nagas’ struggle, marked by intermittent violence and accords/agreements, always has unification of Naga contiguous areas a pre-requisite for any final political settlement. It was a conscious choice that other than reorganisation of the imposed territory there is not short cut for political solution. Any non-territorial and fragmentation proposal is simply unacceptable to the Nagas.
Territorial reorganisation is a pre-requisite for justice and development since the nature of political injustice and military oppression is closely interwoven with the mechanism that segmented the Nagas. The power that divides the Nagas has indirectly institutionalised violence, which to a large extent limited the use of alternative non-violent struggle. Integration is essential because maintaining of territorial status quo will only continue to promote injustice and violence in a most cruel form. Any attempt to scuttle the struggle for territorial reorganisation will seriously undermine social harmony and peaceful co-existence, which will surely jeopardize political stability.
The decimation of the Naga contiguous areas by politically imposed territorial boundaries is a deliberate attempt to weaken the struggle and keep the Nagas under perpetual domination. This plot has not only undermined the integrity of the Naga people but also directly contributed to their poor socio-economic development. While maintaining territorial status quo, politico-social policies were largely ignored and people are manipulated to pay the cost without hope of justice and development. This policy might have served the imperialist interest and suited the leaders of Indian State, but have brought untold misery and bloodshed to the people.
It may be emphasised that the Nagas’ love for their land and territory has emerged not out of insecurity or threat to their identity but is the consequence of historical fact and political exigency. It is amply clear that the very fact of their existent is inseparable from their land and territory. It is the land that defines their identity and tradition. Land and territory is an integral part of their culture. The Nagas simply want what is theirs and nothing more. They are living in their own land and it is they should have the right to possess. Having demarcated them without their consent for so long, anything less than integration is gross injustice and meaningless.
There is no doubt for the Nagas on the genuineness of their cause and the deception of those protests against integration, who do not have either moral or political authority to determine their future. It should be known to all that there is little scope for justice and development in the absence of territorial integration. There is nothing to hope of having a bright future within the existing territorial arrangement. The salvation of the Nagas’ struggle to live in their own term and condition does not lie in maintaining the territorial status quo.
Those anti-integration preaching on territorial integrity is nothing but just a scheme to share and grab the Nagas’ land. Otherwise, they have nothing to lose or gain from territorial integration because the Nagas are not claiming an inch of land that does not belong to them. Indeed, the convention debarred the plain people from buying land or owning property in the hill areas. The question of gifting away their (anti-integration) land to appease the Nagas is simply unfounded since the land is belonged to the Nagas.
In particular, the subject of land is becoming a burning issue in Manipur due to the steady increase of population in the already congested valley. When bulk of the population of the state is concentrated in the four valley districts (Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur), which together constitute only one-tenths of the total geographical areas of the state, relocation is bound to take place in the greener and less populated areas. It is obvious that rapid increase of population will sooner or latter compel the government to accommodate the excess, which is already started in the form of Manipur Land Reforms and Revenue Act (MLR &RA). Taking note of this fact, Tenth Plan Document (Manipur) 2002-07, Government of India, clearly states “the human pressure of the state has risen to such an alarming degree with the over increasing per capita land availability that it is likely to become the root cause of all political, economic and social problems”.
There is no time to hide the reality, therefore, when many Constitutional authorities, including the present incumbent of the Indian State have admitted that the conflict is a political issue and has to be resolved politically. It would be rudely unkind and disgraceful on the part of the negotiating parties to let the issue unresolved when they themselves are aware of the fact for the need of a solution. The future generation will not easily forgive to those who ignore to resolve the issues even after knowing the reality.
The Nagas are keenly watching the ongoing political talks. Everyone is for peace and another round of violence needs to be resolutely turned down. The political negotiation may take months or years; nevertheless the expectation is that honourable solution should be found. Nothing would be more unfortunate and painful when political talk collapsed due to callousness of Indian state on territorial integration.
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