GUWAHATI: The right to exercise one’s franchise is fast becoming a bone of contention in the North East. While the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) is vociferously demanding the revision of electoral rolls in the state, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has warned that “no election shall be allowed in Nagaland” unless the voters’ list is revised, keeping in view the guidelines laid down by NSF.
According to the NSF, there has been an unprecedented growth in the population of Nagaland in the past decade. It has risen by 56.98% against the national growth rate of 23.50%. The NSF claims that this rise is directly due to the influx of outsiders in the state.
One of the demands of the NSF is that 1963 be taken as the cutoff year for inclusion of non-Nagas in the electoral rolls. According to another NSF guideline, only those Nepali Gurkhas who settled in the State before December 31,1940, should have voting rights.
A letter written to the Chief Election Commissioner by NSF President K.T Jamir and Genera Secretary S.Njonthyu stated that the question of homogenous legal imposition or regulation docs not arise in respect of the state of Nagaland since “it is peculiar in all aspects.”
The NSF has demanded exclusion on all non-Nagas (except Govt employees) from the state’s elected rolls after December 5,1963. It has called for identifying all “foreign nationals” and deleting their names from the voters’ list in consonance with Peoples’ Representation Act, 1950, Section 154.
The letter to the CEC ended with a warning, “it may be noted that any procrastination or deviation of and from the NSF’s demand will only lead to serious consequences, The NSF cannot remain silent spectator where the very existence of the Naga people is threatened.”
Significantly, the letter does not mention the NSF’s demand vis-a vis the Nepali Gurkhas.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 23, 1992
