‘Frontier Nagaland’ demand gains traction

Morung Express News
Tuensang/Dimapur | October 7

The demand for a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state gained momentum on Friday as thousands of people spread across the six districts took part in a walkathon amplifying the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization’s statehood demand.

Eastern Nagaland comprises six districts— Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator, which are inhabited by the Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir and Yimkhiung Nagas.

According to the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) which organized the walkathon alongside its seven federating units, the agitation was peaceful and democratic. Denizens from different walks of life including leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs), churches, village elders, students and general public participated in the event.

“63 orchestrated clusters consisting of 451 sub-ordinate student bodies robustly kick started the public Walkathon within the ambit of Eastern Nagaland as the first phase of agitation in all the tribal headquarters, administrative headquarters and sub-divisions,” the ENSF Press, Information and Publicity Secretary  Keyoungkhum K Yimkhiung stated in a press release issued on Friday evening.

As per ground reports, participants marched to the nearest ‘cluster hub’ arranged by the respective federating units and short programmes were conducted.

During the programmes in each location, representatives of the ENSF and the federating units read out a statement titled ‘Why Frontier Nagaland?’ to create mass awareness on the issue.

Among others, the statement delved into the history of the present Eastern Nagaland region, and highlighted on how the region had faced and continues to face “step-motherly treatment” in terms of fund allocation and representation in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA). It also said that the statistics for employment of Eastern Nagaland people in the government sector stood at 18 percent even after the implementation of the reservation policy, while highlighting disparities in the infrastructural development spectrum.

The statement also touched upon the demand put up by the ENPO in 2010 and the proposal for the creation of 4 Autonomous District Councils passed by the NLA in 2012 which was rejected by the ENPO.

Instead, it viewed that the Eastern Nagaland people “would handle the development and security of the region locally” as the same “has not been seriously addressed from Kohima till date.” It said that the “people of this border area would be brought to the main stream of the Indian nation,” and the personnel who have “joined various groups and factions asked to join and take up a new life to move forward and be part of development of this region of India.”

While asserting that the provisions of the Thirteenth Amendment Bill and the State of Nagaland bill of 1962 must be extended in the Eastern Nagaland area, it also pushed for the region to be a trade and commerce launching pad to the ASEAN countries.

Notably, the ENSF, in its press release, claimed that the event witnessed the participation of more than three lakh people, and said it was believed to be “the largest walkathon public movement in the history of Eastern Nagaland.”

It also cited a speech given by ENSF President, Chingmak Chang who is said to have emphasized on ‘colossal deprivation’ in the socio economic, developmental and political aspects of Eastern Nagaland under different leaders and government. 

According to the release, the denizens of the region were “never embraced as brethrens” and were rather treated as “second class citizens,” which in turn, pushed them towards the quest for a ‘Frontier Nagaland.’ It maintained that the region continues to remain poverty stricken “with no plausible sign of development” along with the “largest number of educated unemployed youth, pathetic road condition, lack of human resource development, infrastructure, etc,” despite 59 years since Nagaland’s statehood. 

The federation also asserted that it would remain steadfast in its pursuit for a Frontier Nagaland state. It sent a strong message to the Prime Minister of India that the federation “is very much serious over the ongoing demand and seeking for his immediate intervention.”

The federating units of ENSF also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the respective Deputy Commissioners in support of Frontier Nagaland demand.

The ENSF expressed appreciation to all its seven federating units and subordinate bodies and the public for their active participation. It urged them to maintain the same zeal in the future, saying it is the responsibility of all the denizens of eastern Nagaland to demand a separate state which is based on “our constitutional and historical rights”.

The ENSF federating units include the Chang Wedoshi Setshang (CWS), Konyak Students’ Union (KSU), Khiamniungan Students’ Union (KSU), Phom Students’ Conference (PSC), Tikhir Students’ Union (TSU), United Sangtam Students’ Conference (USSC), and the Yimkhiung Akherü Arihako.