Rongmei issue: Naga Hoho withdraws letter to govt

Appeals to Ao, Lotha and Sumi Hoho to rejoin    Dimapur, November 22 : The Naga Hoho has decided to withdraw its letter to the State Government concerning the issue of recognition to the Rongmei community as an indigenous tribe of Nagaland. The ‘views and opinions’ that were placed before the Nagaland government in regard to said issue is now ‘rendered null and void,’ the Naga Hoho has stated in a press release on Tuesday. It said the decision was taken as demanded by the Ao, the Lotha and the Sumi Hoho while appealing to them to rejoin the platform and work with it as constituents as before. According to the press release, the Naga Hoho’s Empowered Committee on Goodwill Mission submitted their proposal on November 18 to the executive council requesting to “withdraw the expressed views and opinions of the Naga Hoho to the government of Nagaland on the issue of granting status of Indigenous Naga Inhabitant to Rongmei community.” This was to ‘strengthen the unity and fraternity of Naga Hoho,’ the release stated. In said backdrop, the presidential council of the Naga Hoho informed to have convened a joint meeting with the Empowered Committee on Goodwill Mission on November 21. “At this meeting, the members unanimously resolved to withdraw the letter written by Naga Hoho vide No. NH/Corr/2008-11 dated-22nd September, 2008 as demanded by the three tribes–Ao Senden, Sumi Hoho and Lotha Hoho under the banner of CNTC,” the organisation stated. “With this withdrawal, the views and opinion which was shared with state government through its above mentioned letter is rendered null and void. This step is taken with a view to strengthening the bond of relationship among different Naga tribes and to foster unity and fraternity as one Naga family.” The Naga Hoho hoped that with the “bone of contention” having been “removed,” the three tribal ‘hoho’ organizations would ‘join hands’ with it to ‘work proactively as constituent tribal organisations of the Naga Hoho towards furthering the interest of the Naga people as they have been doing in the past.’ Naga Hoho president P Chuba Ozukum, deputy speaker Kenyuseng Tep and general secretary Mutsikhoyu Yhobu appended the statement.