• One strike lifted, another imposed
• YAA Golden Jubilee celebration deferred
Kiphire/Tuensang/Kohima, JANUARY 6 (MExN): The scales in Tuensang and Kiphire seem to be tilting as Yimchungrü leaders have now decided to temporarily withdraw their indefinite strike while Tikhir leaders have decided to impose one.
The Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC), expressing displeasure, at the Nagaland State Cabinet’s “ambiguity and contradiction” following its last emergency meeting held on January 5, has now authorised the Tikhir Students’ Union to impose an ‘indefinite blockade’ of NH-202 under Tikhir jurisdiction.
This was informed in a press release today from the TTC Executive Council Chairman Dioto Tikhir and its Secretary, ST Tsuthong Tikhir. They appealed for “clarity and consistency” in adhering to the Cabinet decision of December 30, 2015.
Meanwhile, the Yimchungrü Akheru Arihako (YAA) and the Yimchungrü Tribal Council (YTC) have decided to honour the appeal of the Nagaland State Government and deferred the YAA Golden Jubilee celebration from January 7-10, 2016 to January 14-17, 2016 “for the convenience of the students’ community.”
YAA President TS Akiuba also informed in a press statement that the indefinite strike is “temporarily withdrawn” as requested by the State Cabinet “for further consideration.” The YAA also urged the State Government to “fulfil” the three-points charter of demands given by way of an “ultimatum” to the Nagaland Chief Minister.
The Government of Nagaland had reiterated on January 5 that it is not averse to the holding of the YAA golden jubilee conference at Shamator “so long as the situation is conducive.”
In the light of this, the State Cabinet had requested the YAA to “defer the celebration to a date which gives reasonable time to the Government to further discuss the issue and settle it amicably and also lift the indefinite bandh.”
This was informed in the minutes of an emergency meeting called on January 5 at 6:00pm in the residential office of the Chief Minister of Nagaland, albeit conducted in his absence. The minutes were sent to the President of the YAA by Cabinet Secretary, RB Thong, with the request that the YAA and YTC lift the indefinite bandh.
The emergency Cabinet meeting, it was informed, happened only with five ministers and acknowledged that this is “short of quorum” of seven and hence not in a position to review the State Cabinet decision of December 30, 2015.
Maintaining that the Cabinet will take up the matter for further consideration on the return of the Chief Minister, the minutes also offered that “If agreed to by YAA, the expenses incurred for deferring the function will be paid by the State Government.”
