Accuses government of bending to NSCN(IM) and betraying unrepresented minorities —“They should be ashamed.”
Former Finance Minister and former President of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), K Therie, has strongly criticised the Nagaland Cabinet’s May 25 decision regarding the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), calling it “unsustainable” and a “discriminatory” move that infringes on the fundamental rights of minority communities.
In a signed press statement, Therie said that ILP and RIIN are not merely administrative tools but deeply affect the “territory, political, and economic aspects of Nagaland,” warning that “no intellectual citizen should ignore the gravity of its impact.”
Therie pointed out that ILP applies to Indian citizens and foreigners alike in four Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram — and clarified that “it means Nagaland’s people also require an ILP to enter other States. There is no exception.”
He asserted that the political landscape has changed following two negotiated agreements in the Naga peace process, noting that “in the past, the Nagaland State Government has applied ILP with leniency, because of the integration issue.” However, he emphasized that “the negotiation teams… have given up the demand for sovereignty and integration” after over “100 negotiation meetings.”
In this context, he criticised the Cabinet’s appeal for the appointment of a new interlocutor and resumption of talks, stating bluntly, “we all know the appeal was rejected by GOI, stating that ‘talks have concluded.’” He also quoted the Union Home Minister, saying, “if the people’s government doesn’t want the solution, they (the Centre) are helpless.”
“The talk is not stalemate or in a deadlock. The matter is over,” Therie said, arguing that there is “no reason to burden the Nagaland public anymore” and urging that “Nagaland should be screened with ILP and RIIN effectively.”
On RIIN: A blow to minority rights
Criticising the Cabinet’s decision to pause issuing the Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate (IIC), Therie condemned it as “discriminatory, an infringement and abridgement of fundamental rights to the four minority communities (Kuki, Kachari, Garo, and Mikir).”
He called the decision “an abuse of power,” and accused the State Government of “changing the goal post of RIIN under pressure from the NSCN(IM) against the unrepresented minorities,” terming it “an act of cowardice.”
Highlighting the marginalisation of these communities, Therie pointed out, “the four tribes have had no representation in the State Assembly for over 40 years. That does not mean NLA can use them as guinea pigs.”
Therie said he had supported RIIN “with an expectation of removing the infiltration and freeing the territory of Nagaland,” citing growing concerns about “infiltration, illegal migration, and adoptions… even in remote Villages and in deep forests, especially in the border areas.”
Lashing out at the Cabinet, he stated, “they have sworn an oath in the name of God as is prescribed in the Constitution to carry out their duties without prejudice. They should be ashamed of their spineless decisions.”
Therie called on Nagaland’s leaders and national workers to “change their position with a new situation and stop indulging and collaborating with infiltrators and illegal migrants.” Urging the youth to act, he said, “it is common sense for all indigenous Nagas, especially the youth, to unite and make a strong Nagaland State to save territory, people, and the future.”