constituent assembly of india debates (proceedings)- volume vii

It has been mentioned that the district is inhabited by mutually exclusive, diverse tribes. A movement
for unification has however been afoot in the last two or three years and a body known as the Naga
National Council (with sub-councils of the different tribes) was formed in 1945.Though a non-official
political organisation, many of its leaders and members are Government officials and the organisation
has also received official recognition locally. Thus the anomalous position of Government servants
participating in political activity exist and in part this situation is due to the fact, that the educated,
influential and leading elements are Government servants. Though the formation of this Council may be
taken as an indication that the unity of administration has given a sense of unity to the different tribes it
would perhaps be a mistake to suppose that there has been any real consolidation, and the tenacity with
which the tribes hold on to their own particular views of traditions is still a potent factor. A notable
characteristic of Naga* tribes is that decisions in their tribal councils are taken by general agreement and
not by the minority accepting the decisions of the majority. This feature, though perhaps well suited to
village affairs, may lead to many an unsatisfactory compromise in matters of greater movement.
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* Other tribes have this characteristic also in greater or lesser degree.
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In June 1946, the Naga National Council passed a resolution expressing their approval of the scheme
proposed by the Cabinet Mission in the State Paper of May 16, 1946,and their desire to form part of
Assam and India. The resolution protested against the proposal to group Assam with Bengal. This
resolution and the feeling which prompted it seems to have held the field throughout 1946, and the
Premier of Assam who visited the district in November 1946 was greeted with the utmost cordiality. Early
in 1947 the Governor of Assam, Sir Andrew Clow, visited the Naga Hills and advised the Nagas that their
future lay with India and with Assam. Subsequently, towards the end of February 1947, the Naga
National Council passed a resolution in which they desired the establishment of "an Interim Government
of Nagas with financial provisions, for a period of ten years at the end of which the Naga people will be
left to choose any form of Government under which they themselves choose to live." This resolution was
of course completely different from the previous one in that it was based on the idea of being a separate
nation and country. Subsequently the Naga National Council sent another memorandum in which they
mentioned a "guardian power" without however stating who should be the guardian power, and it was
found that they were extremely reluctant to express any choice openly between the three possibilities of
the Government of India, the Provincial Government and H.M.G. It would appear that this was the
formula on which a general measure of agreement could be obtained among the Nagas since there were
clear indications that many of them were inclined to take moderate views more on the lines of the
original resolution passed at Wokha but in view of the intransigeance of certain other members, probably
of the Angami group, they were prevented from doing so.
Subsequent events connected with the visit of H. E. the Governor to the Naga Hills on the 26th of
June 1946 show that the Nagas have dropped their extreme demands. The substance of the claims made
by the Nagas is now to maintain their customary laws and courts, management of their land with its
resources, the continuance of the Regulations by which entry and residence in the Hills could be
controlled and a review of the whole position after ten years.
5. LUSHAI HILLS DISTRICT -
This district has an area of 8,142 square miles and lies to the south of the Surma Valley. It forms a
narrow edge-shaped strip of territory about 70 miles wide in the north tapering to almost a point at its
southern extremity and separates Burma from the State of Tripura and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of
Bengal on the east and south-east respectively. With the exception of a small area at its southern