Ponder with eastern MLAs – NSF to ENPO

Dimapur, January 19 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation has urged the Government of Nagaland to give “special attention” to the economically and educationally “rearward” areas but has also ‘suggested’ to the Eastern Naga People’s Organization (ENPO) to take up their grievances with the elected members of the Nagaland State legislative Assembly of Mon, Tuensang, Longleng and Kiphire districts. “It is none other than the people of this four districts who elected them to address their grievances,” the NSF said in a statement today, opining on the issue of separate state demanded by the ENPO.
The NSF has also urged the ENPO not to push any farther the demand for separate state “or any other separate arrangements” as it would be detrimental for the growth of the Naga society in the long run. The situation of Nagas living in other NE states was broached on the ground that Nagas in Nagaland – being comparatively a little better off – have the onus of addressing their needs and concerns.
“Moreover, it will only give undue advantage to our adversaries. Further, the Federation cautions those individual and agencies trying to implant seeds of discord and hatred amongst the Naga family to desist from such nefarious design,” NSF leaders stated in the statement.  
The NSF strongly reminded the ENPO that times are changing and one can no longer afford to live in isolation. “We have to march ahead along with the rest of the world. In order to cope-up with the rest of the world, we need to consolidate our people and our homeland. Separation from each other is not the answer for progress and development of our society. What is demanded of us, what is needed at this point of time is to put concerted effort in bringing our people and our land under one administrative roof.”
The federation pointed to the daily humiliation and subjugation of Nagas in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Myanmar. Their situation must constantly strike the minds of the Nagas living in the present state of Nagaland, the NSF said. “…comparatively, the Nagas living in the present state of Nagaland are little better than the rest of the Nagas who are living outside the present boundary of Nagaland state and for which we need to also realize that we have moral onus to address the need and concerns of our brothers and sisters living outside the present state of Nagaland,” the federation said.
“The responsibility which has been bestowed on us by our ancestors cannot be wished away in order to accommodate our short term interest,” the federation said.
The reconciliation and peace process was also broached by the NSF. That the reconciliation and peace processes are on, the federation, “our adversaries are feeling threatened and they will go to any extent to split the Nagas because for them, Nagas coming together is the biggest threat on earth.”
Contrary to separation, the NSF said, the Nagas living outside the present state of Nagaland should “segregate themselves from the dominion communities so as to assert our identity and to protect our ancestral domain, nevertheless, it is inappropriate on the part of Nagas living within the present state of Nagaland to conceive even an idea of segregating from the rest of the Nagas.”
The Nagas should be more cohesive “in our approach for the betterment of the entire Naga family as some of our brothers and sisters especially those living in Burma (Myanmar) are less fortunate than us.”