Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 17
Right on the heels of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s strong worded message to the Centre that Manipur is planning to take “extreme” steps if any peace agreement to Naga political issue involve “any part of Manipur – be it cultural, administrative, traditional, economic, territorial, or economic,” another demand has been raised by another entity.
The Dimasa National Council (DNC) on July 16 served an ultimatum on the Centre “demanding return of Dimapur to the proposed Hirimbapur autonomous state,” according to a report in The Assam Tribune.
The Manipur CM in his interview to Hindustan Times encouraging “a peaceful solution in the larger interest of the nation” reiterated that “we cannot sacrifice our state unreasonably,” while the DNC’s ultimatum called for the ‘return’ of Dimpaur itself.
According to The Assam Tribune, a four-member delegation of the DNC met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his North Block office on July 16 and made the demand.
The delegation led by President Dhironjay Naiding and General Secretary Mrinal Kanti Ponglo also conveyed to the Home Minister that the Naga groups were “committing atrocities in some of Dimasa’s former territory,” it said.
“They also expressed their opposition to the demand of Nagalim comprising land of Assam” and stated that the move “will be resisted at all costs,” the report added.
The DNC also reiterated their 10-point charter of demands calling for setting up one administrative unit under the name of Hirimbapur autonomous state under Article 244(A) by carving out the entire North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (Dima Hasao) and including three historic Dimasa kingdom capitals of Dimapur, Maibang and Khaspur areas adjoining Karbi Anglong, Hojai, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts of Assam in the proposed autonomous state, according to the report.
Meanwhile, joining the bandwagon, a Member of Parliament from ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from Tezpur Lok Sabha seat Ram Prasad Sharma demanded that “Nagaland should immediately return Dimapur to Assam as it has no legal ownership over the commercial town.”
According to a report is a news portal, Northeast Now, the MP said that the land was given as a “lease” - a temporary arrangement for a fixed period.
According to the Minister, Dimapur was “a mauza of Jorhat district” leased out to “Naga Hills for 30 year in 1918 for construction of railway lines. But after the lease period Nagaland continued to occupy the land and even made Dimapur a district ‘on its own’.”
“Lease cannot give full ownership right. And Nagaland has no ownership right on Dimapur, they should return it immediately,” he was quoted as saying.
The Minister further claimed that he had requested Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to claim the territory of present Dimapur district of Nagaland as the territory of Assam.
Sharma also informed that he even wrote to Prime Minister on the issue and submitted documents pertaining to his claim.
“But unfortunately it has been more than a year the PMO has not responded to his letter yet.”
However, this is not surprising and Sharma’s claims can be considered a mere political rhetoric.
In September 2016, he had made similar demand. “We leased out Dimapur, also called Hidimbapur, which was a Dimasa kingdom. We should reclaim all land, including that in Merapani encroached by Nagaland,” he had said, according to media reports.
Notwithstanding the validity of various counter claims in opposition and apprehension regarding the possible agreement between the NSCN (IM) and Government of India, the demands would certainly gave an added dimension to the ongoing Indo-Naga political talks.
