Not every Nagaland citizen eligible for Indigenous status — Kenye

KOHIMA — Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs KG Kenye on Wednesday explained that not every person in the state of Nagaland is eligible to be given that status of an indigenous citizen and that is why the state government has to be selective vis à vis the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).

Addressing a press conference in Kohima after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, he said that Nagaland is a state inhabited by indigenous people who are the natives of the state, while in recent years at least two more tribes have branched out from their parent tribes adding to the list.

He mentioned that they are the natives whose land and forefathers have occupied the present state of Nagaland since time immemorial.

Kenye described these natives are the original settlers with the status of indigenous citizens. “But indigenous communities are always very less scarce in population anyway. And their ways of life, their customary practices, their traditions, and their religious beliefs are also different from people in the rest of the world. So when they are merged into an administrative unit in that particular geo-physical region, it creates friction whereby a democracy will prevail and that is when the interests of the indigenous community can be marginalised. We have seen it all,” he said.

In this regard he said, for fear of such issues cropping up, certain policies and resolutions are made exclusively for the indigenous community. In the case of Nagaland today, he said, after the 16-Point Agreement was signed with the Government of India in July 1960, the state had an interim period of three years, from 1960 to 1963.

Within this time, the state tried its best to also merge the Naga Contiguous Inhabitant Areas of the state into the recognised new state. For which the integration committee was also there to spearhead the negotiation with other Nagas from the then Naga Hills.

He informed that after extensive deliberations, those who could not come in were all of the view that they will remain where they were: in the state of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Even then, he pointed out that on six occasions in the past 60 years, the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has passed various resolutions to the effect that all Nagas contiguous areas should be integrated.

“The balls have been in their courts for the last 60 years. They have never passed it back to us. They never returned the balls to us. So when there is no reciprocation from our people inhabiting outside of the state, certainly the weightage of our case is lighter and has not been taken seriously by the government of India,” he said.

Kenye reasoned that the present government, as well as the previous governments, have been trying to check the influx of illegal immigrants ‘threatening the very existence and interests’ of Nagas. In that context, he said that the RIIN is a preventive measure.

Accordingly, he reasoned that the state government has to be selective in its approach even among the indigenous communities like Kukis, Mikirs, Garos and Kacharis.

Reacting to the statement made by these communities in the press, he said: “At the outset, I would say that this is very unbecoming of them. Had they been in another state, I don’t know how their respective governments would have treated their case. But for us, we say they have been living with us. So we will have to define a date and a year, and set a deadline.”

He maintained that the December 1, 1963 deadline will be used to identify the original settlers and those who came after that. Kenye asserted that only those who have been living in the state prior to the December 1, 1963, and whose parents or grandparents or forefathers have been here, and their names have appeared in the electoral roll of the first state election of 1964 would be eligible for the indigenous certificate.

He maintained that the enumeration has to take place and unless enumeration is done for these four tribes—Kukis, Garos, Mikirs and Kacharis–the state will not be able to identify who falls in that category and who should not be conferred that status.

“Unless we have such a kind of categorisation, tomorrow anybody from anywhere scattered across other states may walk in to claim that they are indigenous to our state. And that will be too much of a burden and also a threat to all of us to the state. That is why we had to work out a certain date and that is how to make genuine authentic identifications, we have to go for enumeration,” he reasoned.

The minister appealed to the communities not to resist the enumeration exercise.

Reacting to the adverse response to RIIN from Nagas inhabiting outside Nagaland, Kenye said that the state authorities expect each and every Naga living anywhere to hold on to their land ownership and continue to be a native of wherever they have been born and brought up. He pointed out that the ongoing Naga movement for sovereignty and integration, Nagas have unfortunately been divided into at least four states even within the Union of India, and more across the international border in Myanmar.

“The degree of threat that is confronting us now has compelled us to start fencing our land and protect our interests and our people. So let the same thing happen, let the same policies be made in their respective states, wherever Nagas are inhabited.

“And I’m sure all the Nagas living outside of these states are also given the indigenous status in their respective states. They have that protection and they have acquired that status also. So we don’t mind if Naga tribes from Nagaland are not given indigenous certificates in Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh. We don’t mind,” he said.

In this regard he requested everyone to understand and not have any misgivings about further dividing the Naga people.

With regard to Nepalis/Gurkhas, he said that the matter would be discussed at a later date.

Also read: Nagaland government committed to RIIN implementation — Minister Along