Will file nominations ‘If GoI wants election’ — Imchen

Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Jan 19 (EMN): “To me election is secondary; Naga political settlement is primary… if at all the government of India wanted to conduct election we are going to file nomination,” Minister Imkong L Imchen has said on Fri.
Addressing the closing programme of the 37th Ongpangkong Students’ Conference at Ungma village in Mokokchung, Imchen asserted that the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) ‘are more affirmed that election is not suitable in the present context’ but that ‘a solution is an immediate requirement for the Naga people.’
The senior politician said that there were ‘two types’ of opinion among the Nagas: one wants elections first; the other wants solution first. In this regard, Imchen felt that Naga Civil Society is more focused on the elections and have ‘forgotten about the crucial importance of Naga political settlement.’ ‘The desire to conduct election by the other party will be a historic disaster for the Naga,’ the minister claimed.
Nagas are not interested in taking up private enterprises but interested only in government jobs which might be disastrous, he said. Therefore the Naga political issue should be settled at the earliest to ‘avoid such a havoc situation,’ Imchen said. He called upon the students to live as a proud and liberal citizen ‘after Naga political settlement’ without the spectre of insurgency .
Also, Imchen has advocated that the Clean Election campaign was a ‘good initiative’ for political candidates. He said that the concept of clean elections should be inculcated in the schools, Sunday school s and preached in the church. He believed that if such an approach was taken then within 10-15 years ‘true democracy’ will be re-born in the Naga society. “If clean election is taken wholeheartedly then pure democracy will emerge in our society,” the minister explained.