Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, AUG 21 (NPN): Deputy chief minister and minister-in-charge of Home, Y. Patton, on Thursday said the State government would not force anyone to sing Vande Mataram.
He made the statement while addressing media at Dimapur Airport amid controversy over the Centre’s directive on singing the national song in schools and official programmes, which has drawn opposition from various Naga civil society organisations, including the Naga Students’ Federation and Nagaland Baptist Church Council.
Patton said the State government could not say it would enforce the directive, maintaining that participation should be a matter of individual choice.
“Nobody is forced to sing, and nobody will be asked to sing, and nobody can stop anyone from singing,” Patton said.
He indicated that the issue could come up for discussion during the forthcoming Ninth session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, scheduled to begin on September 1.
Asked whether the State government would examine the implications of compulsory observance of the Centre’s directive in the context of Article 371(A) of the Constitution, Patton said Article 371(A) would not be affected by the issue.
On the ongoing eviction drive near Merapani border, following eviction notices reportedly served to 59 houses by the Assam government, Patton said Border Magistrates from both Assam and Nagaland were conducting investigation and verification to establish the status of the residents.
He cautioned against identifying the affected area specifically as a Lotha area, saying the residents could either be illegal immigrants or Nagas. “We will find out, and we will examine the report,” he said.
Patton said the State government would await the verification report before drawing any conclusion.
On human-elephant conflict, he referred questions to the Forest minister.