Although several regional political
leaders as well as former National BJP President
Kushabhau Thakre admitted that their non-participation
in the last controversial general election in Nagaland
was a "blunder", various NGO leaders did not buy the
ideas and instead described their acts as "supreme
sacrifice' for the cause of the Naga people.
"It is the other way round", said Ms Neidonuo Angami,
President of the Naga Mothers' Association. "I think
it is SC Jamir (Nagaland Chief Minister) and his
Congress people in the State had made a 'blunder' for
forcibly going with the election in the State in
1998".
She told this correspondent that those State
politicians might be regretting as "blunder" for their
non-participation in the last election in the State,
"but in the eyes of the Naga public, it is not the
question of blunder". "In fact, as State leaders, when
they decided not to participate, they shouldn't think
it is a blunder, but it is a matter of positive
response to the Naga people", the NMA President
stated.
Angami also pointed out that they were not against the
elections held last time but the behavior and attitude
of the Government of India which, she said, forcibly
allowed election to be conducted in the State by
ignoring "our pleas for deferment of election for some
time".
She also said those "un-mandated people (Congress in
the State) must realize that we are not against and we
have never gone against any individuality and
personality but their behaviors in the last election".
"We also know that we cannot bypass any elected
Government like any one of us in the final settlement
of the problem but for that matter they could not
block the process to the solution", Angami pointed
out. "But then how this 'un-mandated people (Congress)
could be a party to it when they did not recognize the
voices of their own people".
"We, for the first time in the Naga history, have
realized that we have to work very hard among
ourselves for solution to our issues and problems
following the declaration of ceasefire agreement
between the Government of India and the NSCN(IM) in
1997", she stated. "But it is the Centre which ignored
the pleas by imposing election in the State in 1998
against the pleas of the people".
Angami also said State Chief Minister Jamir's repeated
remarks that he would step down as and when final
settlement between the Government of India and the
Naga undergrounds was arrived at were "illogical".
"Because solution may take time and dialogue process
is going on and who can say that after such and such
month or year, solution will be arrived at", she
pointed out. "If he says that he would step down as
and when final solution is arrived at, then it becomes
a conditional".
Allaying fears that there would likely be
election-related violence in the ensuing poll in the
State, Angami assured that they would do their best
not to occur lawless during such time.
The 1998 general election in Nagaland would certainly
be recorded in the history of Naga political issue
because of the complete non-participation to it by the
regional political parties as well as State unit of
BJP which virtually gave walkover to the Congress
party which is still running the Government in the
State without any opposition.
|