Petitions
Naga National Council
28 September 1948.
M. Kithan, President of the Naga National Council, wrote to the Governor of Assam from Kohima on 22 September 1949. The letter was not addressed to the Constituent Assembly, but a copy was forwarded to the Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, which is likely how it entered the Assembly’s files.
The Naga National Council rejected the Sixth Schedule of the draft Constitution as inadequate. The letter recalled promises made by the late Sir Akbar Hydari, then Governor of Assam, and a written assurance from the Prime Minister of Assam that the agreement between the Governor and the Naga National Council would be fully implemented. Neither had been honoured. The Nagas, the Council stated, had never agreed to accept local autonomy. They wanted much more.
The letter took particular aim at an Assam representative in the Constituent Assembly who had suggested that even local autonomy was too much for the tribals and that the Dimapur area should be removed from the Naga Hills district. The Council saw this as an attempt by the Assam government to build an ‘Assamistan’, a government for Assamese-speaking people only. The move on Dimapur, the only railway head accessible to Nagas, was attributed to business interests seeking to capture the Naga Hills market. The Council also objected to any talk of expelling foreign missionaries, who had been responsible for Naga educational progress, and asked whether the intention was to convert Nagas to Hinduism or to halt their education.
The tone is angry and confrontational. The Council warned that the Nagas would tell their children that a constitution had been forced upon them. They had anticipated a square deal from the Government of India, the letter closed, and the Government had failed them.
OFFICE OF THE NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL, NAGA HILLS.
No. 394/NNC, dated Kohima, the 22nd. September, 1949.
From
The President, Naga National Council.
To
Shri Sri Prakasa, His Excellency, The Governor of Assam.
Subject:- THE NAGAS THE THE PRESENT TALKS’ AND DECISIONS IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA.
Your Excellency,
I am desired by Naga National Council to address your Excellency on the subject mentioned above in continuation of my telegram.
The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution is far from satisfying the Nagas. Two years ago late Sir Akbar Hydari, the then Governor of Assam gave some extra promises to the Nagas. Where are the promises? The Honourable Prime Minister of Assam also had given a written assurance to the Nagas that the Agree-ment arrived at between the late Governor and the Naga National Council would be fully implemented. Where is the assurance? These are what the Nagas are asking for and it is very natural.
Instead of fully implementing the Agreements arrived at between the late Governor of Assam and the Naga National Council, and inspite of the fact that the honourable Prime Minister gave a written assurance for full implementation of the Agreement, a representative from Assam to the Constituent Assembly of India seems to have an idea that even local autonomy is too great for the Tribals of Assam and he further particularised the Nagas by pointing out that Dimapur area should not be within Naga Hills. The representative for Assam has indirectly given the idea that the present Government of Assam is thinking of an ‘Assamistan’, that is what the Nagas have understood from the talks in the Constituent Assembly of India. The nagas have understood that the intention of the Government of Assam is not going to be a Government of the people of Assam but of ‘An Assamese Govern-ment’ – a Government for the Assamese speaking people only. The fear expressed by them that the local autonomous units would become ‘Tribalistan’ and ‘Communistan’ is but a reflection of their own intention and attitude. They have exhibited their true colours when their attitude towards the tribals was betrayed in placing them side by side with ‘Communistan’. They have made themselves very small in the Assembly and they will come back to Assam in bad humour, they will imagine that they are the lions of Assam and try to roar like lions and try to make up the loss they have made in the Constituent Assembly by exacting dog-like devotion for the tribals of Assam.
While talking of Dimapur area, it would have been much better if the speaker paused for a while to recollect that Dimapur was in the Sibsagar District only for a period of ten years in the History of Assam
The constitution of India may give even greater powers to the Governors of provinces on all matters in general and in particular to increase or to decrease the area of any autonomous unit. The Nagas do not believe that any Governor will be so irresponsible as to do so without giving active considerations and without respecting the settlement of the people.
The idea to take away Dimapur area from the Naga Hills district was originated by some business-minded men with an intention to capture Naga Hills market, because the said town is the only Railway head accessible to the Nagas. But the Nagas do not know whether the honourable speaker is testing or challenging the Nagas or inviting troubles from the Nagas.
If the Nagas were to be taken as equal partners of Independent India, we do not see any reason why a legislature where we have no representative (and where we will have no representative) should seek to control us. We do not see why some representative should dream of taking away the only bit of land accessible to the Nagas for their economical growth. We do not see any reason why one should think of driving away the foreign missionaries who had been responsible for our past educational progress. May we ask if the intention is to convert all the Nagas into Hindus or is to stop the educational progress of the Nagas? The Government can try anything but they can not stop the Nagas from eating beef, the most essential item in their religious performances.
The Nagas have never agreed to accept a local autonomy. The Nagas want much more than a local autonomy. The Nagas will tell their children that a constitution has been forced upon them. The Nagas have anticipated a square deal from the Government but they have failed us.
Yours faithfully,
(M.Kithan)
President,
Naga National Council,
Kohima.
No. 400-10/NNC., dated Kohima the 21st. September, 1949.
Copy to:-
• 6. The Secretary, the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relation.