The rallies were held at Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng, the headquarter towns of the four eastern districts which are demanded to be included in ‘Frontier Nagaland’ for all-round development of the region, ENPO sources said.
The ENPO had in November submitted a memorandum to the Centre, demanding creation of the separate State for six tribes while alleging that successive governments in Nagaland had failed to bring about socio-economic development in the area. An ENPO delegation had also recently met Home Minister P Chidambaram and Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai and placed their demand for the separate State.
Addressing the rally at Kiphire, ENPO vice president Yonglam Konyak said the area was neither part of India, erstwhile Burma nor China till Independence. After Independence, it was put under the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) and was merged into Nagaland when the State was created in the 1960s.
He said the Constitution has special provisions for the area, but successive governments in Nagaland had deprived its people. This made the area backward on all fronts, he stated.
The demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland’ is being supported by students and other tribal organisations of the region, he claimed. Over 10,000 people attended the rally at Tuensang.
In Noklak, according to a DIPR report, all business establishments remained closed and thereafter a copy of the memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister of India demanding separate Statehood for Eastern Nagaland was submitted to the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Noklak.
The memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister in November last year, which was forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner Tuensang yesterday and made available to the press, states that the people of Eastern Nagaland are still comparatively ‘unreached and undelivered’ in terms of real and meaningful socio-economic development and growth and ‘thus a geo-political frontier’ in position from all flanks and aspects.
Outlining the grievances – ‘socio-economic conditions,’ ‘human resources development’ and ‘political deprivation’ – the representation said the scope for the uplift of the Eastern Nagas is very limited and that no matter what offer and redressal may be initiated in response to the demand by both the State and Central Governments, these are already ‘too little, too late’.
It stated that given the condition of the problems and prospects and the experiences of association with other advanced groups of the State for about 50 years even before and after formation of the State of Nagaland, the people of Eastern Nagaland find themselves incompatible to continue to co-exist.
“Therefore, granting and fulfilling the demand and aspirations of a full-fledged State only with special status and provisions to the people of Eastern Nagaland is the only answer,” the memorandum said.
The memo was appended by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organisation, Konyak Union, Phom People’s Council, Yimchunger Tribal Council, United Sangtam Likhum Bumji, Chang Khulie Setshang, Khiamniungan Tribal Council, Eastern Naga Students Federation and Eastern Nagaland Women’s Organisation.