The Rising People’s Party has said that the Union Government’s intention to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and construct fencing along the entire Indo-Myanmar Border is a divisive policy intended to disintegrate and isolate Naga People and other ethnic groups of the Northeast geographically.
RPP, the political party from Nagaland in its press release issued on Tuesday said, since the announcement to scrap FMR, many Naga civil society organisations including the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), the Global Naga Forum (GNF), the Naga Hoho and the Naga Indigenous People’s Forum has voiced strong opposition against the proposed move.
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Much has been said on the issue and the sentiment of the Naga People has been expressed, RPP said.
Pointing out the “Silence” of most of the MLAs and the 2 MPs, RPP said it comes as no surprise.
“Except for the NPF legislator Achumbemo Kikon and Home Minister Y Patton , the other remaining elected MLAs and MPs have chosen to either remain silent and sit on the issue or support the removal of FMR that will have a deep devastating effect on the future of the Nagas. However, the move to discuss the FMR issue with the other North Eastern states bordering Myanmar as disclosed by the Dy. Chief Minister Y. Patton is a welcome step,” RPP added.
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RPP further said that the silence of the 10 Naga MLAs and 1 MP (Naga) of Manipur is distressing even though the United Naga Council (UNC) has written a memorandum to the Union Home Minister opposing the move and calling for strengthening of FMR.
“While the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had made the Official announcement in Guwahati on January 20, neither the NDPP-BJP coalition nor the state government has made any official statement on the issue. So what exactly is stopping our elected representatives from expressing the desire of the Naga People to the Central Government? The BJP legislator Imkong Imchen backing the Centre’s move to end the FMR is traitorous. The act of merely pleasing the BJP high Command at the expense of Naga sentiments is totally uncalled for and deserve outright condemnation,” it added.
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Furthermore, demanding that all the Naga MLAs, including the Naga MLAs of Manipur, and the MPs of the two states, and the major political parties in the UDA coalition government oppose the scrapping of FMR in totality, RPP questioned, “whether the sitting MLAs and MPs and government of the day is with the Naga people or not?”
Maintaining that the Rising Peoples Party will not remain a mute spectator and will continue to oppose tooth and nail any policy that aims to further divide the Naga People, the party said that the “UDA coalition government has much to do to demonstrate beyond doubt that it is above party politics and that it stands for the Naga People.”
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