Kohima, October 14 (NEPS): Nagaland chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the integration of Naga homeland was a �matter of claiming one�s birthright� and also a �matter of faith, touching our innermost sentiments and emotions.� �Therefore, we shall never give it up and shall continue to strive for it till it is achieved,� he said while delivering his keynote address at the seminar on �Integration of Naga Homeland� here at Zonal Council Hall on Thursday.

The Chief Minister said their fellow Nagas now being forced by �historical circumstances� to live outside the present Nagaland State shared the �same longing and desire for unification of Naga homeland.� However, for various political reasons, compounded with lack of leaderships with the right vision and know-how, they had so far been handicapped in making �their voice heard� in right way, and in organizing �mass movements to press their demands,� he asserted.

Rio, however, reminded about the new awakening amongst their Naga brothers from Manipur State, under the banner of United Naga Council (UNC) by showing an impressive show of their support for unification of the Naga homeland when the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, visited Kohima in October, 2003.The Chief Minister said several agreements of the past like 9-Point Hydari Agreement of 1947 and 16-Point Agreements (of 1960) had clearly incorporated about the integration of all contiguous Naga inhabited areas.

Besides the Naga Club, in their memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929, demanded that as and when the British decided to relinquish their Indian Empire, the Nagas should be allowed to regain their former status of �sovereign independence,� he added.

He also recalled as how the Nagaland assembly had unanimously passed resolutions for four times in support of the integration of Naga homeland.

He said no opinion contrary to, or critical of the Assembly resolutions were ever expressed by any tribal group, organization, or NGO from Nagaland State.

�All the prominent NGOs and other social organizations, including underground Naga nationalist organizations, have also openly declared their support for integration of Naga homeland,� the Chief Minister explained.

Although it might even be argued that no further discussion or debate on the logic or desirability of unification of Naga homeland was necessary as far as the Nagas of Nagaland State were concerned, they should continue to reiterate their demand and every successive House of Nagaland Assembly should go on passing the same resolution till �our goal is achieved,� the Chief Minister averred.

Stating that fifty-seven years of Naga struggle was a long period and they had witnessed tremendous changes taking place around the world in terms of economic, science and technology, socio-political areas, Rio said things, which they never dreamt of in the past, were happening today in their age.

�Therefore, if we have to go forward as a people along with the rest of the world, we have to be prepared and learn to adapt ourselves with the changes taking place and will continue to take place even in the years to come,� he pointed out.

Believing that all right thinking citizens had rendered their support on the ongoing peace process, Rio called upon the Naga people to get themselves involved in the political process.

Otherwise they would never understand the �joy and value of freedom even when it comes,� he said.

JD (U) MLA, Huska Sumi, as resource person, presented his paper on the topic of �The Politics of colonial state boundaries,� while Kekhrie Yhome and HK Zhimomi were the moderators.

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