The Government of Nagaland had and has no problem to upgrade Tseminyu sub division into a district for the Rengmas. The essential elements of state comprise population or people, territory, government and sovereignty. Thus a state of a sovereign state should have the first three essential elements to be officially called a state. But, population and territory come first and government and sovereignty next. That means that if there are population and territory there can be a state and thus states were born in old era. A district is called a state within a state and hence a district too has the same essential elements like that of the state. So there is no reason as to why a district cannot be created for indigenous Rengma community which has considerable and sizeable population and territory. The human rights of indigenous people are recognized and honored on the basis of their population and territory everywhere in the world.Other districts in Nagaland were also created because the government had recognized and honored the human rights of indigenous people and the territories being occupied by them.
If the Rengmas have been denied upgradation of Tseminyu, the oldest sub division into a district on the ground that they have only one assembly constituency and that there should be minimum two assembly constituencies for the same. Then this artificial criterion just sounds like two men are eating on the same plate, so they ask for a bigger plate, but, they were denied on the ground that they have only one plate. This criterion is arbitrary and discriminatory in nature.
Moreover, no proper uniform population was maintained for each tribal assembly constituency for which Tseminyu A/C has become the largest single tribe’s assembly constituency nearly equivalent to some three assembly constituencies in term of population. Thus it is obvious that they have been denied their rightful share in the process of peoples’ representation.
People and territory are the creation of God and to have freedom is the birthright of every human while assembly constituency is the creation of man. And when we refer the right to have assembly constituency and district we mean our right to access to political and economic freedoms provided to the citizens under an established democracy.And the rights to have equal share of representation and economic freedom have been denied to the Rengmas since the inception of Nagaland statehood.
Why should the Rengmas be continuously subjected to discrimination. Up gradation of Tseminyu sub division headed by ADCinto a district has long been the desire of Rengma people. The demand for creation of district for the Rengmas led by the Rengma Hoho is genuine and there is every possibility on the part of the government. Therefore, the government of Nagaland must do justice to the deserving Rengma people for the sake of welfare politics and Christianity.
K Thong (Achilo)
