Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation ( ACAUT) emerged as a public movement in 2013 against the repressive unabated taxation and gradually became the people’s voice ACAUT filing of Right To Information (RTIs) and Public Interest Litigations (PILs) exposed rampant corruption and generated widespread public awareness. During the unprecedented 31st October 2013 public rally at Dimapur the public resolution of “One Government One Tax” still resounds with the people of Nagaland’s fight against unabated taxation that has bred factionalism among the Naga Political Groups (NPGs) which has now multiplied into more than a score.
The other public resolution for High Powered Committee to probe into the whole gamut of unabated taxation and illegal collection involving the NPGs and government agencies was constituted by Government of Nagaland and had submitted its official report in the year 2015. ACAUT along with Business Association of Nagas(BAN) and Public Action Committee (PAC) filed a PIL on removal of illegal check gates in spite of Goods and Services Tax(GST) culminated with the Governor of Nagaland issuing a Notification on 19th May 2022 dissolving the lessees and dismantling the check gates.
The final public resolution was to urge the Government of India (GOI) to settle the Indo-Naga imbroglio at the earliest as this was the panacea for all the unabated taxation and most of the corruption cases. This important public resolution to expedite the protracted Naga political issue was not only reiterated on ACAUT’s second Dimapur public rally but also urged the GOI to invite all Naga Political Groups for political negotiation without further delay.
Hence, ACAUT with this conviction was not only part and parcel of the people’s demand for “solution before election” in both the 2018 and 2023 Nagaland State Legislative Assembly elections but stood steadfast till the end.
The signing of the Framework Agreement, 2015 and the Agreed Position, 2017 through political negotiation has been declared “successfully concluded”. Now, the opportunity for the long awaited Naga Political settlement is in the court of the NPGs, Naga tribal apex bodies and the GoI, facilitated by the Government of Nagaland. It is worth mentioning that in ACAUT’s ‘War Against Corruption’ it has spearheaded the passing of the Lokayukta Act 2017 in Nagaland, through persistent representations, protests and hunger strike along with Public Service Aspirants of Nagaland (PSAN).
In my eleven years of journey with ACAUT, in spite of my shortcomings I have given my best for the good of this pathbreaking movement to bring about changes in our Naga society. Personally, I have learned many life lessons and now the realization has dawned on me that my journey with ACAUT must come to an end. Unlike registered organization, for a public movement like ACAUT one cannot cling onto it when ideological differences emerges and when it has almost attained its self-mandated tasks of generating public awareness to raise voice against oppressions of all kinds.
Therefore, I resign from ACAUT Convenorship on my own accord and quit the movement altogether. I shouldered the responsibility of leading ACAUT on being asked by senior Consultative members and core members consequent upon the erstwhile Convenor of ACAUT quitting. I thank them and also the people for the opportunity given and the trust reposed on me.
(This is a press release issued by Tia Longchar on 5 October 2024)