Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 2
Coinciding with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the “Father of the Nation”, Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) on Tuesday launched its non-violent “Campaign pledge” against Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants (IBIs) here at the council office. Hundreds of Dimapurians from all walks of life and religion including from mainland India appended their signatures in the NCD register to pledge their support in the drive against IBIs.
After signing in the register, each of the signatories was given as card one side of which read “I pledge that I shall wholly and steadfastly boycott illegal Bangladeshis immigrants (IBIs) socially and economically. I shall not lease out my premises, including both residential and commercial, to IBIs, as part of my social commitment. I shall boycott all the business establishments of IBIs who now control the economy of our state and instead patronize fellow Nagas and fellow Indians. This pledge is borne out of love for my Naga people.”
“I took this pledge to uphold the truth; the truth that Nagas are in danger of losing their Christian character to an alien religion; the truth that Naga identity is in erosion created by a tidal wave of alien culture; the truth that Nagas can be self-reliant, not depending on aliens for their survival; the truth that the well-being of our future generation and survival of Naga identity depends on us taking a historic and firm stand today”, the other side of the card read.
Convenor of NCD Public Affairs Committee (PAC) donning the mantle in the drive against IBIs, Joel Kath, summarized the mission and objective of the PAC.
Naga Council President, Savi Liegise, in his address said the PAC under the aegis of Naga Council was compelled to undertake the signature campaign due to the indifferent attitude and lukewarm response of the state government to the burning issue of influx of IBIs. The NCD president said that Naga society all along had tolerated other communities and non-Nagas and let them thrive in Naga soil in the hope that these communities would also be grateful to Naga people’s generosity.
Whereas other communities have contributed to healthy growth of Naga society, Savi alleged that IBIs were, by and large, for infesting Naga society with killings, rapes, thefts, frauds, immoral activities and hosts of other anti-social activities in Nagaland, particularly Dimapur.
Justifying that the Naga Council was compelled to undertake the pledge campaign due to the lukewarm attitude of the state government to the threat posed by IBIs despite several representations in the past, Savi also pointed out that the special task force (STF) constituted by the state government in April this year to tackle the threat posed by IBIs, has so far not taken any positive steps.
He said the PAC was constituted on February 10, 2012, following public uproar and a joint meeting of Naga tribal hohos and NGOs under the aegis of NCD in the backdrop of the February 6 rape of a Naga woman by five IBIs.
Principal of City Law College, Leonrad Aier, who also spoke on the occasion, cautioned that the day is not far off when Nagas will be kicked out from their own land and hearths by outsiders (IBIs) if Nagas continue to patronize IBIs.
“We will be committing the biggest sins in our life if we do not bequeath our Naga ancestral land to our children”, and quoted Jesus’ parables of the tenants to cement his argument. Urging Naga parents to rise above tribal lines with regard to the burning issue of influx of illegal immigrants, Aier also alluded to Neil Armstrong’s comment when the latter landed on the Moon and said that the pledge campaign, however insignificant a step it might look in the initial stage, would prove to be a “giant leap” for Nagas in the long run.
The pledge campaign kicked off with Rev. Robert Kikon offering invocation.
NCD said it would circulate the campaign register to every shops and business establishments owned by Nagas as well as to all churches. The council hopes to collect at least one lakh signatures by the end of this year.
