DIMAPUR: The Naga Hoho and the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) are at the loggerhead.
The Naga Hoho is the pan-Naga civil body where as the NTC is an organisation formed only by the tribes of Nagaland.
The Naga Hoho is against the formation of the NTC saying it is ‘premature and not appropriate’ while the latter group said it is ‘over due’ now to form such a council.
Meanwhile, the Zeliang Peoples Organisation (ZPO) headed by Azu Newmai has endorsed the formation of Nagaland Tribes Council.
NTC is a body floated by only Naga tribes based in Nagaland few months ago.
Before its constitution was fully done, the NTC had said it “resolutely stands that Rongmei is not a tribe in Nagaland and demands for abrogation of Nagaland Government Cabinet decision dated 23.07.2012 giving Rongmei as recognized tribe in Nagaland”.
On June 22, the ‘interim committee’ of NTC had approve its drafted constitution. This is a ‘common platform’ for all the Naga tribes of Nagaland, said the NTC leaders. Leaders from 15 Naga tribes in Nagaland are behind this NTC.
Mention may be made here that the government of Nagaland was on the process to recognise Mao tribe also, as one of the tribes of Nagaland but after numerous criticisms, the state government of Nagaland had clarified on May 2 that it had not made any decision to recognise the Mao tribe as one of the recognised tribes of Nagaland.
The Nagaland Tribes Council has also taken a firm stance that it does not recognize any tribe from outside Nagaland given recognition by any authority.
“The ‘interim committee’ of NTC appealed to all tribal organisations of Nagaland and all like-minded people to extend good will and participate in the larger interest of the people.”