Mokokchung, 12 April (MTNews): The Ao Senden on Wednesday stated that the name of Naga Mothers Association (NMA), which it said at this point of time has no relevance and is a non-entity, “is being abused by a few individuals to further their hidden agenda which is nothing short of insulting the 3 lives lost in 2017 during the people’s movement against the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 which has now been repealed.”
In a press release, Ao Senden President Chubawati Longchar and Assistant General Secretary, Arentemjen Jamir said that it has been “closely observing the subversive maneuverings of a handful of elitist individuals with vested interests” ever since the Government of Nagaland on 28 March resolved to repeal the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 in toto, which it said was “essentially was a borrowed or photocopied Act.”
“Along with the rest of the Naga tribal hohos, Ao Senden as the apex body of the Ao Nagas places on record our appreciation to the Government of Nagaland for doing the right thing at the right time by listening to the voice of the people and repealing the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 in toto,” Ao Senden said.
It went on to say that there was apprehension that if the state government conducted the ULB election as scheduled, another volatile situation like that of 2017 would have been repeated.
“However, timely action of the state government has given a sigh of relief to the people and safeguarded the rights enshrined in Article 371 (A) of the Indian Constitution,” it added.
It further made clear that the tribal hohos, including the Ao Senden, are not against the conduct of elections to the ULBs in Nagaland. “It is simply that any Act that the government proposes to implement must not be against the interest and well being of the people in general, and must not infringe on Article 371A in the context of Nagaland state,” the Ao Senden said.
Further, it requested the Nagaland State Government to enact a fresh Act to govern the ULBs in Nagaland at the earliest, “the draft of which must be consulted with the tribal hohos before it is introduced in the Assembly.”
“Nagaland is a tribal state that was created under unique political circumstances and with special political considerations. As such, we invite the leaders of PUCL and other elitist individuals sitting in their ivory towers to come and spend some time in Nagaland and get themselves educated about the culture, traditions and customary practices of the Nagas, before getting entangled in fruitless litigation,” the Ao Senden stated.