MLA Imkong L Imchen, a veteran politician in Nagaland, has long enjoyed widespread support in his 28 Koridang assembly constituency for 4 terms including the last assembly election win in 2018. Imchen in his political career has served as a minister in eight different portfolios: Rural Development; Power & IPR; School Education; SCERT; Technical Education; Home; Health & Family Welfare; and Forest, Environment & Climate Change.
In an exclusive interview with Mokokchung Times, Imchen revealed that, while he cannot recall when he first became involved in politics because he has been voting since 1964, he first ran for election in 2003 where he achieved his first win and has not lost ever since.
According to him, he has always been involved in society as a student leader and President of various civil society organizations since his college days beginning 1977.
Despite his lack of political knowledge, he stated that his main motivation for running for office in 2003 was a combination of the prevailing socioeconomic situation, his studies in social (cultural) anthropology during his university days in NEHU which enabled him to understand society through empirical study, and also a tremendous amount of pressure and encouragement from the people of his constituency.
“I nearly ran for office in 1998 because of societal pressure, but I resisted,” he added.
Imkong L Imchen on his initial political career
Imkong began his political career as a Congress worker, but in 2003, he successfully ran as an independent candidate and later joined the NPF post-election, where he remained until April 2022.
Speaking about his party switch, he stated that he left Congress because they were “just making castles in the air” and their agenda never resonated with the ground reality.
”I was the longest-serving Mokokchung DCC and was also the Vice President of NPCC. But what happened was when AICC, their joint secretary used to come to Kohima, Mokokchung – they used to order us around without knowing the ground situation. I am a grass root worker and I could not relate with them. Besides, I did not feel like worshipping the AICC office bearers so I never even went to Delhi even when I was a Congress worker,” he said.
Imkong was also one of 21 Naga People’s Front (NPF) MLAs who recently joined the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) just before the ensuing 2023 Nagaland assembly elections. He stated that he left the NPF because its working system had become too arrogant and their “apparent policy initiatives were not genuinely concerned for the whole Nagas.”
He did, however, express regret that the NDPP has nothing better to offer.
“I find myself outside the scheme of the incumbent government,” he said, adding that he sometimes regrets joining the NDPP party and that he feels like the opposition within the party.
“Throughout my home ministership in the 10th house, I have always advocated for equitable distribution of development. This is the thirteenth house! Where is equitable distribution?” he inquired.
“I have served as Minister of Rural Development, Power, School Education, SCERT, Science and Technology, Technical Education, Medical Minister twice, Forest Minister once, and Home Minister once. I can even direct anyone to the secretariat now to look for my work. You will notice that I have always worked for and documented equitable development distribution in my register. I have always ensured that all of my colleagues ensure equitable development distribution. I only had one complaint, and that was the delay. Delay didn’t have any room for me. I was the type of person who would ask my assistant for the file if it wasn’t brought to my table,” he explained.
On ENPO & Frontier Nagaland demand
When asked if he truly believes that the then-Home Secretary, GK Pillai, was the catalyst for the formation of ENPO, as he claimed in one of his interviews with Northeast Live, he agreed and stated that the orchestration of ENPO began with the UPA-1 government.
“They want to divide Nagaland into three sections: the ENPO area, the rest of Nagaland’s Nagas, and Southern Nagas. Nagaland is a small state, and they want to divide it even more. What is the logic behind the division of Nagaland? GK Pillai has yet to explain how Nagaland’s fragmentation benefits the Government of India or even the Nagas,” he said.
“After his retirement, GK Pillai has said in a TV interview that the biggest mistake was the creation of Nagaland state. He has yet to answer what the Government of India gains by fragmenting Nagaland-such a small state,” he reiterated.
He claimed that K. Asungba Sangtam, who was his co-panelist in the Northeast Live debate, also knows about the matter for he was working closely with GK Pillai.
“The gentleman, Asungba Sangtam, was saying like Eastern people were never given Chief Minister portfolio, but when Rio left for Lok Sabha and there was a leadership crisis, I supported Noke Konyak for the Chief Ministerial candidate but the ENPO MLAs supported TR Zeliang,” he said.
“Except for the Finance Minister and Chief Minister, the eastern people have had all the chance for development. 20 MLAs are equally accountable for the backwardness,” he asserted. Further recalling Sangtam’s claim, he reiterated that it was the Eastern MLAs themselves that did not support Noke Konyak for the Chief Minister seat against TR Zeliang.
On Naga political issue
“I have always argued in the core committee meeting that the Framework Agreement and the Agreed position must reconcile, compromise with each other so that a Naga consolidated agenda can be reached,” he said of his views on Naga political issues. “Consolidate because your September 14 resolution will not suffice. This is exactly what I’ve been saying in the meeting.”
However, he added beside his ‘stupid’ self, the rest were ‘over clever’ that no one would say a thing.
“Because there is no stupid person like me, I say it alone. They are over clever persons,” he said.
However, he expressed optimism, saying, “I am told that the Government of India has already passed the paper to the law ministry, and, thus, I am optimistic that the solution will come soon.”
On electoral violence in Koridang
Concerning the violence that occurs in the Koridang assembly constituency every time they go to vote, Imkong stated that he does not feel responsible for such violence.
“It is my policy not to interfere in the internal affairs of the village unless they invite me. I have never interfered in any village, including my own, during my entire term,” he said.
He asserts that he has no role in the violence, adding, “I have no hint that violence will occur.”
When asked if he believes asking his supporters to stay calm will help the situation, he stated that his supporters have always been silent.
“My supporters have always remained silent. Others, on the other hand, are not. They even chase my supporters out of the village, and I cannot ask my supporters to remain silent in that situation,” he said.
He then claimed that a specific village should be administered responsibly and that its council stops acting as an election agency.
On backdoor appointment
Backdoors, according to his experience, exist because the NPSC failed to perform its duties as required. He claimed, for instance, if there are three LDA vacancies and is sent to the NPSC, they will not advertise even after a year.
“In fact, they will not advertise until the third year, which is how the pending occurs and your office’s smooth operation is disrupted. We even considered disbanding the NPSC once, but we couldn’t because it is a statutory body,” he said, and shared his doubts that the newly formed NSSB will be much worse than the NPSC.
On Mokokchung’s ten MLA seats
He urged the people to ask what the elected Ministers from the constituencies in Mokokchung are doing for the people of the district.
“Having said everything,” he concluded, “I just want to conclude that the Mokokchung district is unjustifiably discriminated against.”