Dimapur, June 26 (MExN): Nagaland Congress leader K Therie today conveyed his openness to Autonomous Council to Eastern districts of Nagaland but with certain caveats.
“If the people of erstwhile Tuensang district now think Autonomous Council is the answer to the present stress, in my view, there should be no objection from any quarter,” he noted in a statement received here.
However, he asserted that in case of any compromise on the territorial integrity of Nagaland and Article 371(A), the opposition-less Government shall be held responsible.
“The people of Nagaland have paid with blood and sweat and have toiled” for the same since 1918, he implied.
The former State Congress head further recalled that a Regional Council for erstwhile Tuensang district was provided under clause (d) Art 371(A).
“We were told that during formation of statehood, leaders of erstwhile Tuensang district preferred to participate directly in the State and therefore, the idea of Regional Council was kept dormant,” he maintained.
“People were happy with NNO, Congress and Regional parties under cock symbol despite of shortcomings for obvious reasons,” he added.
However, he alleged that after BJP and Alliance rule, complaints and ultimatums “over discrepancies in allotment of funds, contracts, supplies, appointments, posting of teachers, lack of roads and all round development activities, became daily news.”
Drawing serious attention to discrepancies in administering justice and equality, the Congress in its manifesto to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly in February 2023 had especially mentioned certain provision for Eastern Areas, he highlighted.
These included Mini-Secretariat; creation of a Directorate of School education; relocation DUDA; 33% job reservation on the basis of annual vacancies; and to take up with Government of India and Myanmar to enable economic relations with Nagas of Myanmar. However, the party failed to win any seats.
Therie’s statement came in the wake of the State Government convening a consultative meeting on June 30 to discuss the provision of the proposal of the GoI for constitution of an Autonomous Council for the 6 eastern districts of the Nagaland - Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak.
