Says today’s generation, armed with phones and computers, “lie comfortably at home and write whatever they like,” forgetting the struggles that shaped Naga history
Terming it “totally wrong” to call Nagas insurgents, MLA and former Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) president Achumbemo Kikon said that the Naga people had never consented to join the Indian Union when India was being formed.
Speaking at the 79th Foundation Day celebration of the NSF held at NSF Oking, Naga Solidarity Park, Kohima, Kikon said the federation, established in 1947, came into being at a time when Naga elders were enduring immense hardship. The organisation, though a student body, was formed to defend the Naga cause and uphold the people’s rights and dignity, he said.
Kikon noted with concern that many young people today “just because they have computers and phones, lie comfortably at home and write whatever they like” without knowing the history that shaped the Naga identity. “Some do not even know where we come from, yet freely comment on issues they don’t understand,” he said, urging students to learn about the sacrifices made by earlier generations.
He further reminded that the Naga struggle for self-determination continued even after Nagaland attained statehood in 1963, adding that “many Nagas remain outside the jurisdiction of the state.”
Kikon also said that Nagas should celebrate August 14 as Naga Independence Day stating, “We have not done it secretly. We declared it before the Father of the Indian nation, and therefore it is morally correct and should also be legally acceptable under international law.”
Flagging the change of “Restricted Area Permit” to “Prohibited Area Permit” (PAP) Kikon accused the Government of India of giving “step-motherly treatment” to Nagaland, explaining that the Inner Line Permit (ILP) applies to Indian citizens, while the PAP restricts foreigners from entering the state. “This is how we are treated, even after becoming a full-fledged state,” he remarked.
Speaking on the fencing and division of Naga areas without public consent, he said, such actions “cannot be allowed” and called for collective responsibility beyond political groups adding, “If the younger generation understands history correctly, our future is safe, and we can march on.”
Neingulo Krome, secretary-general of the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), reflected on the decades-long Naga peace process, saying that “no solution will be satisfactory to the Naga public” after nearly 30 years of ceasefire.
He warned that any settlement “in the form of an agreed position” could lead to more bloodshed among Naga factions. “If it fails, more killings will start either way. That is the situation we are in today,” he said.
NSF president Mtsesuding paid homage to the founding members and said the dream of a united homeland can only be realized when the younger generation “dares to look beyond boundaries and embrace the truth that we are one people with one destiny.”
(With inputs from Eastern Mirror)
