DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 9 (MExN): The Rising People’s Party (RPP) has stated that the state government has officially justified its stand that the Kachari, Kuki, Garo, and Mikir tribes are indigenous to Nagaland and are therefore entitled to obtain Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates and Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates (IICs).
According to the RPP, the government has also admitted that 24 posts of police constables are reserved for these “Non-Naga Indigenous tribes of Nagaland.”
“In the light of this clarification, the RPP would like to question the Inner Line Regulation Commission (ILRC) of the NSF to clarify on their previous statement that ‘Nagas are the only indigenous people of Nagaland,’” the party stated in a press release. It alleged that the ILRC of the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), “had the audacity to question the RPP on the issue of indigeneity of these four non-Naga tribes and even went to the extent of calling these tribes ‘migrants.’”
The RPP condemned what it described as the “jingoistic stand” of the ILRC and called upon the NSF to “nullify the statement created by the ILRC – which is but a mere committee formed by the NSF to check the implementation of ILP in the state.”
“The utterly incoherent stand of the ILRC has not only created confusion but has portrayed Nagas in bad light for which the NSF proper must and should clarify,” it stated.
“Trying to thrash the RPP on a non-issue in the print media is nothing but publicity seeking exercise,” the party added.
