ENSF announces indefinite agitation over NSSB; to boycott Statehood Day, Hornbill Festival

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 26 (EMN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) on Thursday announced its decision to go for an indefinite agitation on November 30.

As part of the agitation, the federation would boycott Statehood Day celebration and Hornbill Festival to show its resentment at the government ‘for failing to respond to its demands’.

The federation had earlier served a seven-day ultimatum to the state government unhappy over the current form of Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), Regulation, 2020 and the non-implementation of personnel and administrative reforms by the Nagaland Public Service Commission.

Addressing a press conference in Kohima on Thursday, the executive members of ENSF, along with its federating units, claimed that there was no “positive response” from the state government despite several representations and expiry of seven-day ultimatum.

As for boycotting Statehood Day and Hornbill Festival, it will be applicable to the jurisdiction of six eastern Nagaland tribes. In Kohima, the eastern Nagas will not be allowed to attend or participate in the Statehood Day and Hornbill Festival activities, they added.

 ENSF president Sepili L Sangtam said that they are not happy with the way Nagaland government “treats” eastern Nagas and ENSF. When eastern Nagas are “suffering” since the formation of statehood, ‘our heart does not permit us to celebrate Statehood Day and Hornbill Festival’, he added.

Sangtam claimed that they have made ‘equal sacrifice’ to build the Nagaland state and therefore deserve “equal treatment and justice”.

The federation had earlier served a representation to the chief minister, ‘but there was no response’; then a reminder was made to look into the demand placed by the ENSF, ‘still there was no response from the government’. Therefore, on November 18, a seven-day ultimatum was served but there was no ‘positive response’, he added.

The federation along with its six federating units has decided to go for an indefinite agitation till their charter of demand is fulfilled. The agitation will be in the form of democratic and phase-wise, the first of which will begin on November 30.

Vice president of ENSF, Hamnyei Angh claimed that they have seen the current status of unemployment in the state.

‘Out of 1,30,000 government employees in Nagaland, hardly  6% of gazetted officers are from the six eastern Nagaland  tribes. When it comes to grade III and IV staff, it hardly reaches 10%,’ he said.