Dimapur, March 28 (MExN): The Rongmei Naga People Organisation (RNPO), “the apex CSO of the Rongmei people living in the three states of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland,” has expressed gratitude to NSCN (IM) “for the wisdom and wise decision taken at recently concluded Tatar Hoho assembly to give away due recognition of separate tribe identity to Zeme, Liangmai, and Rongmei, which was clubbed together as Zeliangrong, a single tribe which has created confusion and has also totally suppressed the right to assert our identity as a tribe by Zeliangrong organization.”
In a press statement issued by its Media Cell, RNPO further clarified to certain Zeliangrong organisation appealing to revoke the directive of the Tatar Hoho assembly on the basis that the decision was taken without consulting with the peoples. It termed the allegation “baseless” since “this decision was taken up after a series of meetings and deliberate discussion at the joint council meeting of the Zeme tribe, Liangmai tribe and Rongmei tribe joint council meeting on September 22, 2015 at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur.”
According to resolution no 2, Zeme, Liangmai, and Rongmei will represent as distinct tribe in all apex Naga civil society organizations, the release stated, adding RNPO had also declared the same in the charter of declaration at the Rongmei People Convention held in Tamenglong on January 9, 2018.
“Therefore it makes no sense that the concerned tribes were not consulted. Therefore we thank the concerned authority for ascertaining the fact that the so called Zeliangrong was never a tribe and never will be a tribe in future but a social organisation of the three kindred tribes,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, RNPO extended support and co-operation to the ongoing peace process of Indo-Naga political talk for permanent solution.
