People of Mon, Tuensang had greatest contributions in making of Nagaland State: MC Konyak
Source: Oken Jeet Sandham

Kohima, December 22 (NEPS): It is no doubt that the Statehood has brought certain development and changes to the people of Nagaland in the last forty years.

From a mere district of Assam to a full fledged Statehood and today the State has about one lakh Government employees in a population of two million.

MC Konyak, President, Nagaland BJP Unit � Photo: Oken Jeet Sandham

There are about 50 thousand educated unemployed youth in the State, yet the State has been progressing in many ways with the Government trying to absorb many educated youth in many fields.

But the people of Mon and Tuensang are yet to catch up this fast change scenario of the present global trend.

It is sad to note that the Government employees from Mon and Tuensang are not even made up one per cent of the whole State Government employees in the over 70 Directorates in the State.

"We are yet to have a Director or Secretary in the State," MC Konyak, Nagaland BJP President and MLA from Wakching Assembly Constituency of Mon district, told to NEPS here today.

"If one looks about the job-man ratio in the State, ours (from Mon) is almost nil".

This was the reason why the elected representatives from Mon district had to draw the attention of the Government and authority in very Assembly session to the dismal condition of their people, Konyak said.

For this, he pointed out, one should not misinterpret otherwise that the Assembly business had only focused on the problems of Mon and Tuensang.

"Such issue could be rather taken seriously and the other fellow Nagas should not feel that we are too conscious but the fact is we are really deprived of our due shares in the absence of our responsible officers (from the Mon district)," he explained.

"Therefore, the Assembly is the only platform where we can highlight the plight of our people and unless we (representatives) do so, who else will do," he explained.

"Because we hardly have our officers to do the job and we are only asking for our due shares".

"The maximum benefits to your people can normally come from the officers your community have produced.

But unfortunately the Mon people are yet to reach this stage," the BJP Chief stated lamenting that "even officers from other tribes had hardly interest to serve in these areas (Mon)".

"Nobody wants to go Tuensang or Mon to serve," said the Nagaland BJP Chief.

"This kind of attitude brings more gap amongst the people in the State".

Calling upon the Naga people to change their mindset so that the State could prosper and progress in many ways, Konyak recalled how the people of Tuensang and Mon had sacrificed and contributed in the making of the present State of Nagaland.

The Nagaland BJP Chief said it was an arduous and long journey for the people of Mon and Tuensang, coming from the "un-administered and un-surveyed areas" till the formation of the present State of Nagaland.

He said when the British left India, these "un-administered and un-surveyed" areas were again placed under the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) along with the present State of Arunachal Pradesh and finally, but briefly, under Naga Hills Tuensang Area (NHTA) during the "interim period"----the transitional period of Nagaland Statehood formation.

But it was after the amalgamation of these Tuenasng and Mon areas of NHTA to form as part of the full-fledged Statehood, Nagaland became as the 16th State of Indian Union with the composition of 16 recognized tribes in it.

"This was the greatest contributions made by the people of Mon and Tuensang to the present State of Nagaland," he stated.

But the reality is that even after forty years of the Statehood, the people of Mon and Tuensang, especially Mon, still continue to live in a very pathetic condition, although we agree that the people of Mon and Tuensang are not mentally backward, Konyak pointed out asserting, "We know our rightful share very well".