Rising People’s Party (RPP) has termed Advisor IPR and Soil & Water Conservation and BJP legislator Imkong Imchen’s backing of the Centre’s move to end the Free Movement Regime (FMR) at the India-Myanmar border as “traitorous.” Imkong L Imchen, who had earlier expressed support to the Centre on ending FMR, on Monday asserted that a sovereign nation should have a clear-cut boundary along its borders.
In its response, RPP stated that Imchen’s act of “merely pleasing the BJP high command” at the expense of Naga sentiments was “totally uncalled for and deserve outright condemnation.” Further, RPP stated that the Central government’s intention to scrap the FMR and fence the entire India-Myanmar border was a “divisive policy intended to disintegrate and isolate Naga people” and other ethnic groups of the Northeast geographically.
RPP said it has voiced strong opposition against the proposed move, along with many Naga civil society organisations including Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Global Naga Forum (GNF), Naga Hoho and the Naga Indigenous People’s Forum. RPP also noted that the “silence of most of the MLAs and the two MPs” came as no surprise except for NPF legislator Achumbemo Kikon and home minister Y Patton who expressed opposition against the move. RPP also welcomed the move to discuss the FMR issue with the other North Eastern states bordering Myanmar as disclosed by the deputy chief minister Y. Patton.
RPP said the other remaining elected MLAs and MPs have chosen to either remain silent and sit on the issue or support the removal of FMR, which it maintained, would have a deep devastating effect on the future of the Nagas.
Further, RPP expressed dismay that 10 Naga MLAs and one Naga MP of Manipur have not commented on the issue though the United Naga Council (UNC) had written a memorandum to the union home minister opposing the move and instead calling for strengthening of FMR.
RPP said even when Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the official announcement in Guwahati on January 20, neither the NDPP-BJP coalition nor the state government issued any official statement on the issue. “So what exactly is stopping our elected representatives from expressing the desire of the Naga people to the central government?” RPP questioned.
RPP has therefore demanded that all the Naga MLAs, including Naga MLAs of Manipur, and the MPs of the two states, and the major political parties in the UDA coalition government oppose the scrapping of FMR in totality. “The issue is simple – whether the sitting MLAs and MPs and government of the day is with the Naga people or not,” RPP said. It added that UDA coalition government has much to do “to demonstrate beyond doubt” that it was above party politics and stood for the Naga people. RPP reaffirmed that it would “not remain a mute spectator”, adding the party would continue to oppose tooth and nail any policy that aimed to further divide the Naga people.