Division within Nagaland needs to be addressed, says Temjen Imna Along

Our Reporter
Dimapur, April 18 (EMN): Minister of Higher Education and Tribal Affairs, Temjen Imna Along on Monday said that Nagaland is witnessing division caused by the people within the state, which needs to be addressed by being bold and speaking out not just for a particular community but for the whole 17 tribes in order to move forward for better tomorrow.

He was speaking at the 4th general conference of the Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA) held at Agri Expo in Dimapur on the theme ‘Beyond Boundaries’.

Imna Along said that CNSA should not adhere only to cultural, tradition and fellowship but also ensure that greater unity is achieved traditionally, economically and culturally.

If it takes the right path, the CNSA and its affiliated student bodies will be the epitome of Nagaland’s new future, he said, adding that they need to build better narratives for a better future while urging the young minds to build the narratives of Nagaland.

“We have been diluted and diverted in wrong narrative for our people; we have lots of conferences and consultative meetings but we don’t have conclave that speaks about the new narratives for our state,” the minister stated.

He went on to say that there is a big difference between conferences, consultative meetings and conclaves and that when they talk about consultation, ‘we only want to hear what I want to hear and you only want to hear what you want to hear’ and there cannot be proper consultation in that.

Imna Along urged the CNSA to have conclaves on the future of Nagaland; discuss tribal rights and heritage of the people. Nagas are people of narratives, and there is a need on building better narratives for new Nagaland, he said adding that their forefathers were hardworking people who toiled the soil and established themselves and that they were the children of the soil of the land but lamented that 70% of Nagas are not doing that today.

Delivering opening remark, organising committee convener, S Zhevihe Sumi said that the CNSA was formed to strengthen and create a bond of cordial relationship between the three brothers — Ao, Lotha and Sumi — and break the barriers.