RPP team visits Tzürangkong range along Nagaland border

July 23, 2021 107 Views No Comment

Correspondent MOKOKCHUNG, JUL 23 (NPN) : A 10-member team from the newly-formed Rising People’s Party (RPP) visited Tzürangkong range along Assam-Nagaland border on Thursday and expressed solidarity with people in the area for undergoing untold hardships due to the ongoing border issue.

The visiting team also had interactions with the members of Tzürangkong Naga Youth Front and Northern Sumi Hoho.

Later, addressing a press conference at Whispering Winds Hotel here, team members led by Joel Naga, RPP president, claimed to have had a fruitful meeting and interacted with the people there. They said the people at the meeting expressed their grievances and also their dissatisfaction with the State government for having neglected them. The people also narrated their sufferings when economic blockades were imposed on the Assam side whenever the border issue cropped up, the members added.

Referring to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s declaration that Assam Police battalion camps would be set up at the border, the RPP leaders said Nagaland government has not issued any statement till now. They further regretted that no politician or political party had visited the areas till now, except minister Imna Along as the area happened to fall under his constituency.

They said chief minister Neiphiu Rio and his cabinet members should have been in Tzürangkong by now to take stock of the situation.

Claiming that situation in the area was very tense and that it could erupt any moment, they demanded a clear cut policy from the State government for resolving the border issue.

Warning of violence in the area again, they asked the State government to ensure that there was no bloodshed and further cautioned that the state government should hold solely responsible if anything happens.

An RPP leader on the occasion suggested that the State government unilaterally withdraw from the 1972 agreement with Assam and mentioned that, by doing so, the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB) would automatically get nullified and the government could then directly administer the belt.
Explaining that the visit was to express solidarity with people in the area, the team members promised that RPP would monitor the issue and demanded that the State government should also speed up the process of completing the Foothill road which, if completed, would go a long way in easing sufferings of the people.

They also questioned the Nagaland government that, when other North-eastern States were so sensitive to their respective border issues, why it was not doing enough on the matter. They claimed that the Assam government was pursuing a proactive policy in border areas and alleged that neutral forces stationed in the area were biased towards Assam.

They urged civil society organisation and NGOs to view the border issue as that of Nagaland, and not just of a particular tribe along the border.
Commenting on the formation of RPP, the leaders claimed that the party dreamt of bringing true change to Nagaland, “a change in the system of electing representatives”, and wanting to sow the seeds of accountability and transparency to ensure real democracy in Nagaland.

They appealed to the people of Mokokchung to repose their trust on RPP and confirmed that the party would contest the forthcoming Assembly elections in 2023.

Asserting that RPP was an opportunity for youngsters to bring the much-needed change, they assured that the party would continue to raise issues that affected people.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/rpp-team-visits-tz%C3%BCrangkong-range-along-nagaland-border/236874.html