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Front Page >> Features  > Story

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Of Naga Territorial Integration And Neighboring Communities
By N. Chamroy
Territorial integrity seems to be understood in relative terms now in the North East Region. What is Naga territorial integration for the Nagas is taken as disintegration of the immediate neighboring States. And the reaction especially in Manipur is lamentable. They have the wrong notion that Naga integration movement is an after thought strategy to disintegrate their States accruing from the on-going peace process between the NSCN (IM) and Government of India.

For the Nagas, integration of its territories under one political roof is recognition of their original boundary or removal of the artificial boundaries that straddles them. This territorial integrity movement has taken a new dimension and is rapidly moving forward in the present time with the Nagaland Government headed by Neiphiu Rio sponsoring the move which is worrying the neighboring States. This territorial insecurity is vindicated by some irresponsible social organizations and NGOs to wild speculations thereby creating a political climate where the general public is overwhelmed by the threat perceptions.

Their malicious propagandas to infuriate the public have obscured the people to see things in the right perspective which I think is the most unfortunate part. It will be a wrong calculation of neighboring communities if they think Nagas aspirations to live as one people under one political roof can be quelled by whipping up public hysteria. Such move will only escalate public tension and provoke the Nagas and will only hamper their future relationships which the Nagas think very important as both share geographical proximity and good relationships in the past. It will be a puerile exercise pretending not to see the reality which will invite more harm than good if not courageously address in time. With this good intention to draw the empathy of the neighboring communities, I would like to share some of my views on what was Naga integration in the past and what it has come to mean for the Nagas today.

Its been 71 years now that under the leadership of Jadonang and his sister Guidenlieu, the Zeliangrong Nagas had fought against the British Government to integrate the Zeliangrong areas of Manipur and Assam under one district apart from demanding independence from India in 1932. According to Naga Hoho, the apex civil organizations of the Nagas, Naga territorial integration means removing the artificial boundaries which divide the Nagas.

In the present context, it is a demand to the Government of India to integrate the 18,000 square miles or so Naga areas bordering Arunachal Pradesh in the North, Manipur in the south, Burma in the East and Assam in the West. This compact area has been occupied by the Nagas from time immemorial, a portion of which was later occupied by the British. The un-administered Naga area known as Tuensang was merged with the Naga Hills to form a bigger conglomeration known as the Naga Hills Tuensang Area (NHDA) in 1957 which subsequently became the present state of Nagaland.

The Nagas from the south have been submitting memorandums to the Government of India repeatedly to integrate the Zeliangrong Area transferred as Forest Reserves to Assam, the Naga areas of the Manipur (Ukhrul, Chandel, Senapati, Tamenglong) and Tirap of Arunachal Pradesh into the Naga Hills district since Jawaharlal Nehru's time in 1953. A 12 member delegation of Manipur Naga Council met Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on August 30, 1955 and claimed that the Naga problem will only be solved by bringing all the Naga inhabited areas - Naga Hills, Tuensang, Tirap, Manipur and all such areas of other districts under one administrative unit. All the agreements or accord entered into between the Nagas and the Government of India contemplates this genuine desire to live together under one political umbrella whether it is the nine Point Agreement of 1947 or the 16 Point Agreement of 1960. Even the infamous Shillong Accord of 1975 encompasses this issue.

Today the Nagas are sanguine about the prospect of integrating these Naga areas under the able leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and they have the reason to be so.
The main difference between the past 50s and 60s and the present in regard to Naga integration is the fact that the Nagas were divided by the Indian agencies before. The Nagas were confused and failed to prioritize their objectives. As former Chief Minister S.C Jamir put it in his memorandum to the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee through local newspaper on October 18 last, stated that during the 50s and the 60s Nagas were not free from India's systematic coercion to enter into agreements. In the words of the NPCC(I) president S.C Jamir's memo, Naga Peoples Convention (NPC) was formed in 1957 and an agreement was signed with the Government of India which resulted in the formation of a new state called Nagaland, "recognizing the situations in the Naga Hills and Tuensang Frontier Division during 1954 to 1957".

Unfortunately that agreement was considered null and void by the NNC. Th. Muivah, the then general secretary of NNC wrote to the Prime Minister of India that the agreement was extraordinary because of two reasons. The first one being an agreement between the Government of India and its employees. The second point being NPC not competent to sign such an agreement since it was not a political party. The Nagas in the south (Manipur) were in chaos. After Manipur Maharaja Budhachandra signed the Instrument of Accession to merge Manipur with the Indian Union in 1949, Nagas in Manipur during this time were divided and confused. The Nagas in Manipur were always demanding for integration of their areas with the present State of Nagaland. Some Naga leaders like Daiho, a Mao Naga started to demand for a separate independent state.

Leaders like Yangmaso Shaiza (former Chief Minister of Manipur) were for restoring of the pre-merger status and Rishang Keishing, sitting MP (Rajya Sabha) and his likes were of the opinion that Manipur should be elevated from Union territory to a full fledged state. Few leaders from this school of thought managed to convince the Central Government that the demand for Naga integration will be silenced once Manipur was given a full fledged state status and that the Hill areas be given autonomy under the provision of 6th Scheduled of the Constitution of India.

Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India reportedly asked the delegates of Naga Integration Committee in New Delhi during this time if the Naga underground (NNC) were a party to the demand for integration of Naga areas. On hearing that overground and underground had no relation whatsoever in this regard, she bluntly told the delegation that she had no time to waste and went off for another conference which she said was of urgent matter.

Naga integration thus had ever since been an issue which India never intended to pursue in isolation of the Naga national movement for independence. Nagas were deliberately divided by India to pacify the movement for self-determination while at the same time banking on the integration movement as a "consideration" in future parleys for a permanent solution to the vexed Indo-Naga political imbroglio. Nagas were a divided house then. Comparatively today they are more prepared and clear about their desire. Their hope to live together under one political roof is once again lifted.

Now that the Government of India has recognized the unique history and situation of the Nagas, both the negotiating parties see this integration of Naga areas as the first step towards a final settlement. The Naga civil society under Naga Hoho, Naga Students Federation and Naga Mothers Association is un-ambigous in this regard. The Naga MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh have gone on record in introducing a Bill in the State Assembly for Naga territorial integration. The NSCN (IM) collective leadership has gone to the extent of declaring that since 80% of Naga supports Nagas territorial integration, it will challenge a referendum if this move is not conceded to by the Government of India. The people have come together like they have never been before on this issue. 

By bringing all the Naga areas under one political unit India will earn the confidence of the Nagas which India had long overlooked as a measure to resolve the issue. Also by consolidating the Nagas under a common situation the Government of India will surely enhance the scope of the treaty to be successful unlike the previous failed agreements and accords.

The recent visit of the Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Nagaland at a time like this cannot more rightly be timed not only for Nagas but for all the Northeastern States. This endeavor will encourage other struggling peoples to consider the road map to conclude and bring their struggle to its logical end. In taking this first step towards a durable and lasting peace, the Nagas needs empathy from the neighboring communities which I think is a sound political expediency for them in the future.

Courtesy: The Sangai Express

  

 

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