Pungro, November 24: Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr TM Lotha said the Nagas had suffered for about 60 years and �now, time has come to have peace in our land�.

Addressing mammoth publics in Pungro public ground on Wednesday, the Minister who is also a senior BJP leader said the Nagaland State was legging in many developmental areas despite getting Statehood much ahead of neighboring States like Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.

�All these are because of the unresolved Naga political issue,� he stated.

The Minister said after the DAN coalition Government came to power, the peace had steadily come to their land.

�But we need a permanent peace and for which the DAN Government has declared its policy of equi-closeness with all the Naga underground groups,� he explained.

�The State Government has been playing a role of facilitator and not a party to the peace talks between the Government of India and the Naga underground leaders�.

Dr Lotha also told the publics that it was former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of the then BJP-led NDA Government at the Center who had publicly declared the �uniqueness of the Naga history.� �This declaration has become a watershed in the history of the Naga people who have been fighting to prove in the world that they are a district people,� the Minister asserted.

He also enlightened as to how the Naga underground leaders after decades could visit New Delhi on the invitation of Vajpayee and interacted with not only the then ruling NDA leaders but also leaders of all political parties and civil societies across the country.

�Because the NDA Government under Vajpayee was sincerely committed to resolve the Naga political issue once and for all,� Dr Lotha averred.

�I wish that the present Congress-led UPA Government at the Center take up the issue sincerely and expedite the peace process as done by Vajpayee,� the Minister stated.

Dr Lotha also said he was not new to the Pungro village.

�In fact, this is my home coming because I served as Medical Officer 27 years ago in this place and lived and worked so intimately with the people here,� he narrated and recalled names of several elderly people of the village.

Expressing his happiness on the developments taking place in the Pungro areas which was completely neglected by the previous Congress regime, the Minister said the present DAN Government was �people�s Government.� He lauded the sitting BJP MLA from the area, Torecho for taking up various developmental activities.

�Under the leadership of Neiphiu Rio, various developmental activities have been going on and more so in the Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longlen areas,� he added.

Transport Minister Imtilemba dwelt on the potentiality the Pungro area has.

He said in the next 25 years, the areas could be one of the tourist destinations, saying that many developmental activities could take place in the areas.

�What we need is infrastructure,� he added.

�To do all these, it depends on the political leaderships and the present DAN Government is all out to explore such hidden potentials�.

The Minister also called upon the Yimchungers and Sangtams in the areas to support the ongoing peace process.

He said whichever party talking with the government for solution should be supported.

�If the NSCN (IM) fails, then we should support NSCN (K), or if the NSCN (K) fails, then we should support Federal Government of Nagaland,� he stated.

State BJP President MC Konyak also spoke on the occasion.

He said time had come for the people of Tuensang and Mon to stop talking they were �backward people.� Asking always in the name of backward would not help develop or advance their people, he said.

�How long shall we depend on others in this way,� he said adding, �Unless we change our mindset and work hard to compete with the rest of our counterparts, we will always be legging behind�.

Pungro-Kiphire MLA Torecho delivered welcome address while SDO (C), Kiphire Kevekha Kevin Zehol chaired the program.

Neikepelie, DGM, NST also gave brief details about the inauguration of the Pungro-Kiphire bus service and also how to streamline the service in the area.

Comment