Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, TR Zeliang delivered a passionate call for unity among the Zeliangrong people residing in Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland, urging them to stand together as one, with a single voice. This message was conveyed during the Zeliangrong Meet 2023, held at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on 21 October.
It was a pleasure to be part of the Zeliangrong Meet 2023 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. Stressed on the significance of upholding the bond of brotherhood amongst the three brothers.
The Zeliangrong people, living in three States, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland must… pic.twitter.com/HvPMfetpm3
— TR Zeliang (@TRZeliang) October 21, 2023
The theme of the event, “Zeliangrong Solidarity: Strengthening Unity, Culture, and Progress,” provided the backdrop for Zeliang’s address. He stressed that such unity would be instrumental in reuniting the fragmented organizations in Nagaland and Manipur, causing collective humiliation.
Expressing his hopes that the gathering would serve as a catalyst for consolidating the Zeliangrong people’s unity, Zeliang recounted the historical injustices that had separated them. He said the legacy of the British colonial period, with its imposition of artificial boundaries, had significantly impacted the Zeliangrong people. Heroic figures like Haipou Jadonang and Rani Gaidinliu had made ultimate sacrifices for Zeliangrong integration and their struggle for freedom.
Zeliang underscored the shared heritage of the Zeliangrong people, emphasizing that the Zeme, Liangmai, and Rongmei communities had once been part of a single, harmonious family. It was only the intrusion of the British colonizers that disrupted their peaceful coexistence, ultimately resulting in the arbitrary division of their territories into three separate states.
“By the time the Britishers left, the Zeliangrong people were divided into three subsequent states with arbitrary demarcation of boundaries,” he maintained.
Zeliang, therefore, urged all the Zeliangrong people to come together and unite their hearts in every way possible in order to strengthen their culture and progress as one people.
He also appealed to the Zeliangrong Students’ Union Delhi (ZSUD) and the Zeliangrong Welfare Association Delhi (ZWAD) to set up a “Grievance Cell” for the Zeliangrong people, particularly youngsters studying or working in Delhi.
Zeliang said that the intention of setting up a “Grievance Cell” was to help the Zeliangrong brothers and sisters avail timely justice and to fight against cases of molestation, injustice, discrimination, etc.
He said that one cannot deny the fact that incidents of molestation, rape, and racial discrimination are rampant in the Capital City of the Country, Delhi, which many times go unattended.