CNSA places 6-point demand before state govt
Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA), which toured the border area of Tsurangkong under Mokokchung and Merapani area under Wokha, appealed to the state government to treat the inter-state boundary as “Nagaland and Assam and not as a community struggling with Assam.”
In a representation to the chief minister submitted through DC Dimapur, CNSA president Himato Yeptho and general secretary Lipemo M Tsopoe said the team during the tour found that the people border areas were “living under a very vulnerable and insecure situation” fighting for their survival due to lack of basic necessities like road, water, electricity, healthcare and security from the state.
In this regard, CNSA has placed a six-point demand before the state government: to post IRB and NAP battalion in border areas; setting up of village guards (VGs) and issuing gun licenses to the villagers living in border areas for safety and security; expedite foothill road; abrogate agreement of 1972 and 1979 with Assam government; separate directorate for department of border affairs and inclusion of all MLAs from border areas in the state and inter-state boundary committees.
The association has cautioned that the state government’s failure to act in time would cause irreparable loss not only in terms of casualties to human, but also “create refugees in our own land”.
RPP calls for assembly resolution on border issue
Ahead of the 8th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, the newly floated Rising People’s Party (RPP) has urged the legislators to pass a resolution on Nagaland-Assam border issue requesting the Centre to amend the State of Nagaland Act 1962.
In a press release, RPP lauded the state home minister and the state government for diffusing the tension in Tsurangkong sector through the signing of MoU with Assam. RPP, however, maintained that the MoU was “simply a stop-gap arrangement to usher temporary peace in this sector.”
The party stated that permanent peace would arrive only when the Civil Suit 2 filed by Assam in the Supreme Court in 1988 was first withdrawn.
RPP said that since a tri-partite political negotiation between the Centre, Assam and Nagaland was ruled out for now due to Assam’s arrogance, the only option left for the Nagas was to appeal directly to the Centre.
Asserting that the Parliament could unilaterally alter the boundary of any state as per Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution, the RPP has, therefore, urged all the 60 lawmakers to pass a unanimous resolution requesting the Centre to amend the State of Nagaland Act 1962 by incorporating all the ancestral Naga-lands in Assam – including the areas under DAB, into State’s fold.
Such an amendment in the parliament, RPP said would fulfil Point 12 of the 16-Point Agreement.