‘You may say you are not interested in politics….. but still then, politics is interested in you’. This was what my political science lecturer used to tell us while I was doing my post-graduate studies in Delhi University. How true indeed! And yes, we have once again reached that point of time when everybody is talking about politics and political affairs whether they like it or not. Despite the much-hyped speculations that a final settlement to the long-standing Naga political issue may finally be at hand, the announcement of 23rd February 2013 as the date for another Assembly election in our state has one again totally captured the attention and interest of all Nagas and interesting contests and results seem to be on the card already.
The NPF government under the leadership of Neiphiu Rio and Dr. Shürhozelie has been able to successfully complete its second term in office as well without any difficulty. Therefore, with another election just round the corner, a topic which many are discussing would be undoubtedly the accomplishments of this government in its 10 years rule.
As far as the accomplishments of the NPF government during the period 2003-2013 is concerned, the Naga people will obviously come up with their own answers, explanations, reasons and opinions. I am sure that there will be lots and lots of recollections, discussions, explanations, reasons and opinions on this because many Nagas seem to view the NPF government as a successful and a people-oriented government. I myself have heard many fellow Nagas saying that the NPF government has been able to achieve many milestones which our previous state governments could not achieve during their times.
For some of our fellow Nagas, the biggest achievement of the NPF government may be the flamboyant propagation of our rich culture and traditions through the celebrations of our many tribal festivals and other such festivals. Here, mention may also be made about the various Road-Shows that were colorfully and successfully organized and displayed through out the length and breadth of Nagaland. Credit also goes to the Neiphiu Rio’s government for making the annual Hornbill festival not only a national but an international festival. Besides, this government also gave special encouragement and impetus to people like artists, entrepreneurs, businessmen and those who are associated with crafts.
While for some other fellow Nagas, the outstanding achievement of the NPF government may be the various development works and activities that were undertaken through out the length and breadth of Nagaland. Many new office buildings, new schools, new bridges etc have come up in different parts of Nagaland since 2003. Here also, the credit goes to the NPF government. For a permanent resident of Kohima like myself, I do not need to go elsewhere to see these developments as I can see these all around me here in Kohima itself. Especially in the New Secretariat Complex area, many magnificent and beautifully built public buildings have come up since 2003 – the year the NPF government took over. Dr. Shürhozelie himself said that these magnificent buildings would go on to serve and benefit the Naga people for over the next 100 years. And here, I have no arguments with him because he is 100% correct.
For the younger generation especially the educated unemployed, the passing of the superannuation bill by this government was a huge and satisfying morale-booster as over a thousand senior government employees retired with the coming into effect of this bill thereby creating many employment opportunities for the younger people who were desperately searching for employment under the state government.
For some, the mere fact that the DAN government led by the NPF could provide peace, development and stability in the state by successfully completing its two consecutive terms undisturbed may be an achievement in itself.
No doubt, these are all undeniable achievements of the NPF-led DAN government and the different sections of the Naga population will render their gratitude to this government for any of these reasons.
But for me, the biggest or the greatest achievement of the NPF government would be none of the above-mentioned. For me the biggest contribution of Rio’s government would be the launching of the NPF party in the Naga-inhabited areas outside the state boundary of Nagaland in the states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. This was a noble act on the part of the NPF government and party which I believe will go on to have far-reaching implications and consequences in the years to come.
Dr. Shürhozelie and Mr. Neiphiu Rio are two persons for whom I have always had immense respect and admiration. And this respect and admiration doubled when they decided to change the nomenclature of the NPF party from ‘Nagaland People’s Front’ to ‘Naga People’s Front’ with a view to include and bring within its fold all those Naga population who have been living outside the state boundary of Nagaland since 1963. I have always felt that something of this nature should have been done much earlier by any of our previous state governments. Thus, the respect and admiration I have for these two leaders multiplied when they launched the NPF movement in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in such a fantastic and undeniable manner despite the risks involved.
I believe that the NPF party could have undertaken this noble task even if it was not in power. But the fact that the NPF undertook this mission while it is safe and sound in power made this whole episode much more appealing, interesting, impressive and undeniable. Moreover if the NPF party did an act of this nature when it is not in power in the state, I believe it would not have gotten the desired attention and media coverage that it got.
To really understand and appreciate this move of the NPF party, we need to go back to the early 1960’s when the state of Nagaland was created as the 16th state of the Indian Union. When the Nehru government created the state of Nagaland in 1963, the motive was more to appease the Naga people as during those years the Naga National movement was at its peak and the Indian government even with the full engagement of its military power was having hard times in subjugating the Nagas.
Another motive of the Nehru government in creating the state of Nagaland in 1963 was probably to present a picture to the outside world that the Naga people had willfully agreed to be a part of the Indian Union. The situation in the early 1960s was such that Nehru must have felt in his heart that the possibility of a third country or an international organization becoming interested / involved in the Indo-Naga conflict was really high. And for this the Indian government had to be ready.
These were the main motives of the Nehru government in creating the state of Nagaland in 1963. Therefore the Nehru government did not care at all about the boundary of the Nagaland state that was to be created out of the state of Assam. The result was that the boundary demarcated for the new 16th state of the Union in 1963 did not cover the whole lands of the Nagas or the whole areas inhabited by the Nagas since time immemorial. I do not know whether the Nehru government did this intentionally or whether this was done out of haste and ignorance. But I certainly do not rule out a sinister design of the Nehru government behind this.
Over the years I have come to learn that the real Nagaland should be much bigger than the area covered by the present state of Nagaland. This blunder, whether accidental or intentional, committed during the time of the Nehru government has turned out to be a big divisive force amongst the Naga people. And over the years, our neighboring states like Assam and Manipur have been taking full advantage of this blunder committed way back in the 1960’s. Our neighbors Assam and Manipur know very well that these territories and the people living there are all Nagas’ and Nagas. But still they try to ignore these facts and claim that these territories and areas are theirs on the ground that these fall within their state boundaries.
However, if these Naga people living within the present state boundaries of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh consider themselves as Nagas and their territories as Naga lands, then the matter stops then and there. And nobody should try to make an issue out of this.
It is going to be 50 years since the state of Nagaland was created way back in 1963 and in all these years I am unaware about any of our state political leaders even speaking about the need to visit our own Naga kith and kin living outside the state boundary of Nagaland. Therefore when Neiphiu Rio and Shürhozelie visited these Naga-inhabited areas and launched the NPF party in these areas, history was made. Especially the manner in which these NPF leaders launched the NPF party in Senapati on 28th May 2011 in such a fantastic and undeniable manner notwithstanding the risks involved will go down in the annals of the history of Nagaland as an unforgettable episode.
Out of the many achievements of the NPF government, I rate this as the most outstanding and satisfying contribution of the NPF government and party and therefore I call it “the masterstroke of the NPF”. I am certain that this noble mission initiated by the NPF party will go on to have far reaching implications and consequences in the years to come. And I believe many references and mentions of this will be made by the coming generations of the Nagas….
