>From recent news, we come across this demand by
Nagaland for territories in Assam.
Is this just a border issue that states often have,
are their demands reasonable or unreasonable? Whats
the history here?
As I don't have ALL the facts, (except what I get from
the news), I really can't comment on this -:).
The Sentinel, though thinks the Naga demand is wrong.
--Ram
Naga Double Standards
Finally, the NSCN(I-M) has dropped all indirect
statements and hints about wanting territory from
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur in order to have
a greater �Nagalim�. So far it had been just the talk
of the aspirations of all Nagas to live under one
administrative unit. However, after the leaders of the
NSCN(I-M) moved to New Delhi for the "substantive"
peace talks, they seem to have shed all pretence and
oblique statements to come out categorically with the
kind of script that we had predicted all along in this
column. On Tuesday, NSCN(I-M) general secretary Muivah
lamented in New Delhi that the Centre was yet to
appreciate fully Naga history and the cause that the
NSCN(I-M) was fighting for. He said that any attempt
to solve the Naga issue by appeasing the Assamese,
Meiteis or the Arunachalese would be futile. "Our
stand is clear. The Nagas are not occupying anybody
else�s territory. They have been staying in such areas
(whether in Manipur or Assam or Arunachal) from time
immemorial. We are not claiming any territory that is
not ours. First the British divided us, and then the
Central Government. It is our right to stay under one
administrative unit," said Muivah in an exclusive
interview with the UNI.
This is the kind of argument that will not cut any ice
anywhere in the world. As we have said many times,
people of a particular ethnic group are often
scattered over many States and even many countries.
Think of the Chinese who form major chunks of the
population in several countries. Can anyone justify a
demand that the territories inhabited by the Chinese
should all become part of the People�s Republic of
China? Or take the case of Sikhs or Malayalees living
all over the world. Can they claim territory wherever
they live? What is really obnoxious about the latest
stance of the NSCN(I-M) leader is that letting
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam or Manipur retain their own
territory is "appeasement" of the Arunachalis,
Assamese and the Meiteis, but letting the Nagas grab
territory of it neighbouring States on the plea of
ancient history is not appeasement of the Nagas! In
other words, the Union Government and the State
Governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur
must forsake not only their established history and
geography for Naga myth, but also give up their
territory because the Nagas want more land. And if the
Centre concedes this demand out fear of an insurgent
outfit trying to arm-twist the Centre, the three
neighbouring States of Nagaland will not take it lying
down. In trying to solve one problem, the Centre will
create at least three more.
There is no denying that the NSCN(I-M) leaders have
been emboldened to make such unreasonable demands �
that its neighbouring States should give up their
established history, geography and territory � because
the entire sequence of developments and the manner of
articulation of demands is a well-rehearsed charade
with the blessings of the Centre. Such an outrageous
demand has, therefore, been made possible by the total
unconcern of the Centre about what happens to the
States of the North-east as long as the present
Government at the Centre can take the credit for
having solved the festering Naga problem. And that is
why the Congress, which has been in power the longest
at the Centre, has left all border disputes among
north-eastern States unsolved in all these decades. It
is also very clear that the Centre has been emboldened
to take its decision to cede territory from Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh to create a greater �Nagalim�
because it has seen how weak the two State Governments
have been about keeping their own territory. Assam has
already surrendered thousands of hectares of its
territory to Naga encroachers and let Nagaland put up
permanent constructions on Assam territory. Arunachal
has virtually ceded two districts to NSCN(I-M)
activists. So the Centre knows that it will not be
difficult to make Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi or
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang turn
fear and weakness into the virtue of magnanimity. The
only State to fear is Manipur. It has shown in the
past what it can do when Manipuris are angry. The
Centre would do well not to play ducks and drakes with
three States of the North-east just to appease the
Nagas. It must have the guts to tell all Nagas that
they must migrate to Nagaland if they want to live
under one administrative unit. Sparsely populated
Nagaland has land enough for them all.
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