To
Mr. T R Zeliang
Hon’ble CM, Nagaland
Sir,
Kindly recall your speech at the venue of this year’s Lui Ngai Ni
Festival at Ukhrul, where you spoke of the aspirations of the Nagas.
You were talking of the oneness of the Nagas and yet you had called
the three bills passed by the Manipur Assembly to protect the local
populace from being marginalized in their own state – anti-tribal.
Mr. Zeliang Sir, let me remind you, you are not a chief of a Naga
village nor the President of Zelianrong Union nor the president of
Naga HoHo. You are a Chief Minister of a state of the country. A CM is
next to the prime minister of India in the affairs of the state; and
the first in the state itself. Someone said great power comes with
great responsibility, I hope you would agree with this.
However, your press statement issued through your office that have
appeared in today’s newspapers in response to “Mr. L. Ibomcha, MLA of
Manipur” seems to be otherwise. You apparently have forgotten that you
are a CM of a state. Instead you have conducted yourself as a
chief/president of a civil society organisation or of a student body,
where sentiments and emotion are the rule of the game.
This is terrible. You would kindly remember that Naga exclusiveness
was the tenets of your theme at Ukhrul that had induced the Naga
Student’s Federation to become ultra-communal when they pick out
Meitei vehicles to ban in Naga area. What a leadership you have shown
to your own Naga people!
You are well aware – or are you not – of the problems and the issues
that have become part of the socio-political ethos of this part of the
world. Given the sensitivity of the issues that have been infesting
our region, how could you be so innocent and naïve to infer the
Nagalim ideas contained the 16 – Point Agreement, etc. to justify your
conduct. You must be well aware that your act have the potential to
disturb the region that could have serious ramifications that you
would not have thought of – or do you. You must have known that you
yourself cannot practice what you have preached; otherwise how could
the memory of the Naga legendary leader Rani Gaidinliu be insulted by
your own people by not allowing a memorial site at Kohima in her
honour, where you reign supreme.
Therefore, Mr. Zeliang, please do not try to play with the people of
this region because that could never bring any success to your scheme
of things.
High Regards,
Imphal, 3rd March, 2016
Yours faithfully,
(Heikrujam Nabashyam)
Ex-Vice President
Manipur People’s Party
The sender can be contacted at nheikrujua(at)gmail(dot)com
