The so-called All India Karbi National Assembly (AIKNA)’s contention that RNPC’s Political Agenda put forth on 5th Jan’2014 is “Provocative” and “Highly offensive” is only adding fuel to the fire. The fact of the matter is that a seemingly responsible organisation like AIKNA (judging from its nomenclature) does not find it provocative or offensive that thousands of Rengmas have been made refugees in their own homeland and women and children killed at the hands of KPLT militants and Karbi mobs is provocative enough. It is also strange that AIKNA does not find it offensive that Rengmas have been given ultimatums time and again to embrace Karbi identity or else leave the hills as it happened on 9th June, 2013. Why does the AIKNA not find it provocative that Karbi militants since the days of KNV in the early 1990’s to its present avatar, the KPLT, has been harassing and taxing Rengma Nagas even for fishing in their own rivers? Is it so provocative that NRHPF, a group formed only in December 2012 to protect Rengmas in Rengma Hills has been doing its job of protecting its own people- it wasn’t founded to fight the state of Assam or the Union of India, whereas Karbi militants have been hacking to death women and children from Kuki, Dimasa, Adivasi and hindi-speaking communities apart from its regular clashes with the police and paramilitary forces with no visible condemnation from Karbi civil society? The RNPC would like to publicly declare to the people of Assam that not a single Karbi village has been burnt by Rengmas but the Karbi people have very cunningly portrayed themselves as the victims by being the first to enroll themselves in relief camps in Chokihola area since conflict started on 26th December, 2013. How does the AIKNA justify this shameless act? How is it that the Assam government is being fooled at the cost of the state exchequer? Why is it that every conceivable section of Karbi society start talking about peace and normalcy as soon as their militant groups commit carnage on other ethnic groups; it happened with the Kukis, the Dimasas, the Adivasis and now the Rengmas?
The 28 non-Karbi communities of Rengma Hills ask the Karbi civil society and politicians from acting the Wolf in Sheep’s clothing as this will only further aggravate the problems there. Karbi civil society including the Church should not play the farcical game of blaming KPLT or NRHPF for the havoc being played out in our land. Right thinking Karbi people should instead question the Karbi politicians and its leaders for having conspired at the highest level to chase out the indigenous land owners of Rengma Hills so that the Karbi dream of statehood is fulfilled. It is crystal clear to the people of Assam that Rengmas are the last hurdle in the Karbi people’s dream of statehood. This is the crux of the Rengma-Karbi problem and unless the bifurcation of Karbi Anglong into Rengma Hills and Mikir Hills/Hanrem Sub division is realized, no community in Rengma Hills is safe from the Karbi agenda of destruction and strife. The Karbi people are free to pursue their statehood dream, independent of Assam and no individual or entity can stop their pursuit but a future Karbi state can only encompass Hanrem Sub-division, not Rengma Hills. It is the desire of every community to live in peace with each other but the Rengmas of Assam can no longer live under Karbi hegemony. Henceforth, the Rengmas no longer recognise the KAAC. It is the desire of the Rengma people to live in peace with non-Karbi communities based on mutual respect and therefore, a new autonomous district council should be created for the fulfillment of our cherished dream. The Rengmas along with the 27 non-Karbi communities shall pursue this political agenda of bifurcation of KAAC administered area till the end and this aspect is non-negotiable.
K. Solomon Rengma
Gen. Secretary
Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council
