On 5th March 2024, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) declared ‘Public Emergency’ in the Eastern Nagaland region that comprising of six districts and seven tribes. The demand is statehood which will bring development to the region and free them from the label ‘backward’.
A day later, far away in Ladakh, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) initiated the ‘Fast unto Death’ with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk leading from the front. The people of the Union Territory are demanding the extension of the 6th Schedule, which will let them elect their own representatives and allow them to enact laws to protect the seven indigenous tribes and their lands.
Though ENPO’s Headquarter in Tuensang is around 3,500 kms away from Leh in Ladakh, we find many similarities between these frontier lands, their circumstances and their peaceful agitations. Despite their strategic locations, unique culture, and rich and fragile ecosystem, both regions have suffered from long neglect.
The principal aim of both the ongoing agitations in Eastern Nagaland and Ladakh are to draw the attention of the Government of India to its previous assurances but so far to no result. The BJP government had made promises in public and in written to both the people of Eastern Nagaland and Ladakh and in both cases, just before elections. These promises remain unfulfilled and the Government seems to be least concerned by the agitations.
ENPO has been demanding for Statehood since 2010 while Ladakh’s demand for autonomous council began in 2019 when it was separated from Jammu and Kashmir.
On 19th March, ENPO relaxed the restrictions of the ‘Public Emergency’ but declared that the Eastern Nagaland region would abstain from the 18th Lok Sabha Elections. The apex body of the seven tribes further cautioned any member from participating in electioneering activities.
On 26th March, Sonam Wangchuk ended his first phase of fast after 21 days, but the agitation is not over, the Ladakhi women will begin their 10 days fast on Wednesday and then the Buddhist monks and so on. Further, there are reports of some groups calling to boycott the Lok Sabha elections.
In one of his speeches, Wangchuk said that Ladakh voted for the BJP in majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections because it had given them assurances. Eastern Nagaland probably did the same.
At this juncture, will boycotting the most important elections in the country help the protesting parties achieve their goals? Shouldn’t the apex organizations instead urge each eligible voter from their communities to mandatorily come out to vote with their conscience?
For several politicians, that may perhaps be a greater threat.
Why Frontier Nagaland: Eastern Nagaland Students’ federation (ENSF) explains
