TR Zeliang. (File Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | January 31
Highlighting the various initiatives on Indo-Naga issue under DAN III, Naga People’s Front (NPF) Legislature Party leader TR Zeliang today said that the slogan of PDA was “election for solution” whereas the slogan of NPF was “solution before election.”
“After they coined the slogan how many election are we facing? What has PDA done in almost one year?” Zeliang raised during the Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting of NPF here today. He said such was the reason the 26 MLAs of NPF refused to go to Delhi before “we know the latest step taken by the present government and NNPGs/NSCN- IM.”
Zeliang recalled that on December 7, 2017, a consultative meeting of all the tribal Hohos and ex-parliamentarians was held at Jotsoma which led to adoption of a resolution which was passed in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on December 17, 2017.
Also the NPF party was one of the signatories to the Joint Declaration which was organized by the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Society Organization (CCNTHCO) on January 29, 2018, to abstain from filling nomination in the 2018 state assembly election, demanding a solution before election.
NPF legislature party leader said that even the President of India Ram Nath Kovind during his visit to Nagaland in the month of December during Hornbill festival, has said that ‘Final agreement to the Naga political issue’ would come soon. Even the Governor of Nagaland has said on March 6, 2018 that the decades-old vexed Naga political issue would be resolved within 6 months. There was even the slogan of ‘Election for solution’ before the 2018 state assembly elections.
He said that NPF party approach towards Naga political issue was with positivity.
He said the NLA has passed resolutions on Naga integration on seven occasions in the past.
“Even if we arrive at a settlement where integration of Naga areas is not included, we should insist that appropriate words and clause is INSERT IGNOREed in the final agreement so that the door is not closed for our legitimate right to be integrated under one administrative umbrella in the future,” Zeliang said.
Touching on Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, Zeliang said that Article 371 (A) is not connected to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.
There is no mention of Citizenship in the said Article and after the Citizenship Amendment Bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha and becomes and Act, the hope of using Article 371 (A) as ammunition to oppose the Act will be a long, expensive and futile exercise, he said.
How can one be so sure that Article 371 (A) will protect the citizens of Nagaland from influx of immigrants who will be granted Indian citizenship once the Citizenship Amendment Bill becomes an Act? he said.
He said cabinet decision was taken earlier in June 5, 2018 and January 7, 2019 in which the Citizenship Amendment Bill was not opposed by the PDA government “but today it has suddenly taken a U-Turn.”
He said that the record stands straight that the draft Bill of the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in July 2016 when Neiphiu Rio was the lone MP representing Nagaland in the Lok Sabha and passed when Tokheho Yepthomi of the NDPP party represented the state.
He said today’s consultative meeting convened by PDA government at Dimapur was just an eye-wash.
“Such meeting is called information meet not consultation meet,” he said.
He said it is rather the NPF party that should call a consultative meeting along with MP of NPF (Rajya Sabha) “because we had decided to oppose the bill from day one and our MP will also go by the decision of the party if it comes up in the Rajya Sabha.”
Today, we should entrust our MP RS to raise CAB issue and explain why Nagaland should be exempted from this contentious bill,’ he added.
