S. C. Jamir Explained

S. C. Jamir
Office:24th Governor of Odisha
Term Start:21 March 2013
Term End:20 March 2018
1Blankname:Chief Minister
1Namedata:Naveen Patnaik
Predecessor:M C Bhandare
Successor:Satya Pal Malik
Office1:16th Governor of Maharashtra
Term Start1:9 March 2008
Term End1:22 January 2010
1Blankname1:Chief Minister
1Namedata1:Vilasrao Deshmukh
Ashok Chavan
Predecessor1:S. M. Krishna
Successor1:K. Sankaranarayanan
Office2:Governor of Gujarat
Term Start2:30 July 2009
Term End2:26 November 2009
1Blankname2:Chief Minister
1Namedata2:Narendra Modi
Predecessor2:Nawal Kishore Sharma
Successor2:Kamla Beniwal
Office3:12th Governor of Goa
Term Start3:17 July 2004
Term End3:21 July 2008
1Blankname3:Chief Minister
1Namedata3:Manohar Parrikar
Pratapsingh Rane
Digambar Kamat
Predecessor3:Mohammed Fazal
Successor3:Shivinder Singh Sidhu
Office4:6th Chief Minister of Nagaland
Term Start4:22 February 1993
Term End4:6 March 2003
Predecessor4:President's rule
Successor4:Neiphiu Rio
Term Start5:25 January 1989
Term End5:10 May 1990
Predecessor5:President's rule
Successor5:K. L. Chishi
Term Start6:18 November 1982
Term End6:28 November 1986
Predecessor6:John Bosco Jasokie
Successor6:Hokishe Sema
Term Start7:18 April 1980
Term End7:5 June 1980
Predecessor7:Vizol Koso
Successor7:John Bosco Jasokie
Office8:Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
Term Start8:2 July 1987
Term End8:2 April 1992
Constituency8:Nagaland
Office9:Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Term Start9:4 March 1967
Term End9:27 December 1970
Predecessor9:Constituency Established
Successor9:Kevichüsa Angami
Constituency9:Nagaland
Primeminister10:Jawaharlal Nehru
Office10:Parliamentary Secretary
Term Start10:5 May 1962
Term End10:15 January 1966 https://books.google.com/books?id=T9ZHJAjwyaUC[1]
Appointed10:Jawaharlal Nehru
Birth Name:Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir
Birth Date:17 October 1931
Birth Place:Ungma, Naga Hills District, Assam Province, British India
(Now in Mokokchung District, Nagaland, India)
Party:Indian National Congress
Otherparty:United Democratic Front—Progressive
Children:5 including C. Apok Jamir
Parents:Senayangba Jamir, Takatula
Nationality:Indian
Alma Mater:Scottish Church College, Kolkata
Allahabad University
University of Cambodia

Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir (born 17 October 1931[2]) is an Indian politician and former Governor of Odisha. He was Parliamentary Secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy Minister under Indira Gandhi. He has served as the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Governor of Maharashtra, Governor of Gujarat & Governor of Goa. He was awarded the third-highest Civilian Award in India, Padma Bhusan in 2020 for his work in public affairs.[3]

Early life

Chubatoshi Jamir was born on 17 October 1931 to Senayangba Jamir and Takatula of Ungma Village.[4] Jamir is the grandson of Jungshinokdang, who in the late 19th century, had the providential opportunity to meet the American Christian Missionary Rev. Edwin W. Clark and was instrumental in bringing Christianity to Nagaland. He did his early education in Mokokchung, at Kolkata's Scottish Church College for his intermediate in arts,[5] and higher studies at Allahabad University from where he subsequently obtained his B.A. and LL.B. degrees.[6]

Political career

Jamir was a member of the negotiation body that held talks with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1960 leading to the establishment of Nagaland as a state within India.[2] He was one of the signatories of the 16th Point Agreement which brought about the creation of Nagaland state and is today considered as one of the architects of modern Nagaland.

Member of Parliament

Jamir was nominated as the first Lok Sabha Member from the state of Nagaland in year 1961. From 1961 to 1970, he has served as Member of Parliament and during this period he has also served as the Union Deputy Minister of Railways, Labour & Rehabilitation, from 1968 to 1970, served as the Union Deputy Minister of Community Development & Cooperation, Food and Agriculture. He was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary to Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister who was also in charge of the Ministry of External Affairs.[7] He was a member of UN delegation in 1962.

Having won the previous terms as Member of Parliament uncontested, Jamir faced the electorate in the 1971 Indian general election pitted against Kevichüsa Angami from the newly formed United Front of Nagaland. Jamir was nominated as the candidate of the Naga Nationalist Organisation. In addition to the pledge towards effective measures for the early implementation of unimplemented clauses of the 16 point agreement, the party manifesto said,

...the Naga problem was essentially a political one and a satisfactory settlement acceptable to all sections of Naga people and the Union Government was the only solution. The underground Nagas were an inalienable part of Naga society and they should be associated in the final settlement of the Naga political problem.[8]
The incumbent Deputy Minister of Labour in the Indira Gandhi government was easily defeated by Kevichüsa.[9] In response to his defeat by a novice in electoral politics, Jamir said,
The real cause for this election debacle was the activities of the army in the state and the tantalising offer made by the Opposition candidate to bring independence to Nagaland within a six-month period together with non-compliance of the Government of India with some of the legitimate demands of the ruling party in the State such as vesting the State Government with responsibility of law and order, refusal to give the State a separate Governor, non-integration of continuous Naga areas with Nagaland as demanded by State Government and lack of progress in respect of establishing permanent peace. The seductive calmness that has descended over our state is misleading. Peace hangs by a fragile thread.[10]

Nagaland State Legislature

In October 1972, Jamir was arrested along with former Nagaland Chief Minister T. N. Angami, and others on the charges of complicity in the assassination attempt on Hokishe Sema in August.[11] The incumbent Chief Minister Hokishe Sema refused to set up an enquiry committee to investigate the details that led to the arrest. Jamir along with others were released when the police could not find sufficient evidence to press charges. Jamir alleged that the confessional statement that led to his arrest was "prepared" by some interested officials "to meet their selfish end."[12]

Jamir served as Chief Minister of Nagaland five times (1980, 1982–1986, 1989–90 and 1993–2003).[13] For his first two terms he was a member of the Progressive United Democratic Front, but by 1989 his party merged with the Indian National Congress. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Nagaland for the term 1987–1992, but resigned in 1989.[14]

During the 1991 Indian general election, Jamir directly blamed the incumbent Nagaland Chief Minister Vamüzo Phesao for the ban imposed on National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) suggesting that it could not have been promulgated without the consultation of the state government. The central government headed by Vishwanath Pratap Singh had outlawed the NSCN along with United Liberation Front of Asom on 28 November 1990. Vamüzo denied that he was ever consulted on the matter. On another occasion, Jamir reteriated that the Naga political problem needed all sections of the Naga people to come together for a durable solution. "No solution was possible through a piecemeal approach," he added.[15]

Two men shot at Jamir in Nagaland House, Delhi on 19 November 1992.[16] Five empty shells were recovered from the spot.[17] He was rushed to the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences where he was admitted into the intensive care unit.[16] This was the third attempt at his life within a year.[17] Several students from Northeast India studying in Delhi were harassed by the police thereafter in the course of the investigation. Students from the Tangkhul Naga community were singled out for special attention. At a press conference, representatives from the Naga People's Movement for Human Rights and the People's Union for Democratic Rights alleged that the police harassing students, ordering them to report at the police station, detaining them, searching their rooms, and confiscating their belonging. Hence, some of the students had returned home while the landlords of others were asking them to leave.[18]

In 1997, during an interview to Nirmaiya Banerjee of the Times of India, Jamir asserted that peace talks with Naga underground groups would be successful only if the Central Government negotiates with all groups. He said,

Those who understand the reality of the situation in Nagaland will understand that [only] talking to the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland will not help. All groups must be invited.[19]
In his opinion, all Naga tribes residing in Nagaland must have a say irrespective of their population. Discussions between different sections of the Naga society should be encouraged.[19]

Governor

Jamir served as Governor of Goa from July 2004 to July 2008. Following the resignation of Maharashtra Governor S. M. Krishna, on 6 March 2008, President Pratibha Patil asked Jamir to temporarily take the additional charge of Maharashtra.[20] Jamir was formally appointed Governor of Maharashtra on 8 July 2008, while Shivinder Singh Sidhu was appointed to succeed him in Goa.[21] Jamir was sworn in as Governor of Maharashtra on 19 July 2008.[2] In July 2009 he took additional charge of Gujarat state during the medical absence and subsequent death of Governor-designate Devendra Nath Dwivedi.[22] On 9 March 2013, he was appointed Governor of Odisha.[23]

Nagaland lottery scam

During his tenure as Chief Minister, The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) unearthed a major financial scandal in the Nagaland state lottery amounting to Rs 38,297 crore. The entire scam took place between October 1993 and November 1997. Jamir denied his government's involvement in the financial scandal but the special audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), ordered by the Union Home Ministry, indicted both the Nagaland Government and the state's sole distributor of tickets, M.S Associates, for defrauding the public as well as the exchequer of the amount in July 1999.[24] [25] This case continues to be pending in the court till date.

Personal life

Jamir married Imkonglemla, daughter of Senkalemba in 1958 and they have five children. His younger daughter died in 1996, while his mother died in 2016, at the age of 101.[26] He was conferred an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambodia in 2017.[27] In year 2020, Mr Jamir was conferred with the third highest civilian award--Padma Bhushan—in the field of public affairs on the occasion of 71st Republic day.

References

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Notes and References

  1. Book: India Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs . Handbook on the Working of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs . 2004 . Concept Publishing Company . 978-81-8069-194-2 . en.
  2. News: S.C. Jamir sworn in Maharashtra Governor . PTI . The Hindu . 19 July 2008 . 3 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080914025304/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200807191653.htm . 14 September 2008.
  3. Web site: Padma Awards 2020 Announced . pib.gov.in . 10 October 2023.
  4. Web site: Hon'ble Shri Mohammed Fazal . 21 December 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120220052743/http://rajbhavan.maharashtra.gov.in/previous/JAMIR.htm . 20 February 2012 .
  5. Some Alumni of Scottish Church College in 175th Year Commemoration Volume. Scottish Church College, April 2008. page 593.
  6. Web site: His Excellency Governor of Odisha Dr. S. C. Jamir . https://web.archive.org/web/20130806195950/http://rajbhavanorissa.gov.in/governor.asp . 6 August 2013 . rajbhavanorissa.gov.in . 10 October 2023.
  7. News: SC Jamir sworn in as Odisha governor . 26 February 2021 . Hindustan Times . 21 March 2013 . en.
  8. Book: Aram, H.. Peace in Nagaland: Eight Year Story: 1964-72. Arnold-Heinemann Publishers. 1974. New Delhi. 264. 9780883865279 . en.
  9. News: PTI. 12 March 1971. Union Minister from Nagaland loses. 6. The Times of India.
  10. Book: Aram, H.. Peace in Nagaland: Eight Year Story: 1954-72. Arnold-Heinemann Publishers. 1974. New Delhi. 267. 9780883865279 . en.
  11. News: The Times of India News Service. 13 October 1972. 3 ex-ministers arrested. 1. The Times of India.
  12. News: UNI. 29 November 1972. Sema rejects plea for probe into arrest of MLAs. 6. The Times of India.
  13. News: Prominent Cong leader from Nagaland SC Jamir gets Padma Bhushan . 26 February 2021 . Business Standard India . 26 January 2020.
  14. Web site: List of Rajya Sabha members Since 1952 .
  15. News: Munshi. Debashish. 2 May 1991. Parties focus on NSCN ban. 12. The Times of India.
  16. News: PTI. 20 November 1992. Jamir shot at in Delhi. 1. The Times of India.
  17. News: PTI. 25 November 1992. Jamir's brother denies charge. 7. The Times of India.
  18. News: The Times of India News Service. 24 December 1992. North-East students allegedly harassed. 10. The Times of India.
  19. News: Banerjee. Nirmaiya. 28 November 1997. Centre must call all factions for peace talks, says Jamir. 12. The Times of India.
  20. News: Krishna resignation accepted, Jamir in charge of State . https://web.archive.org/web/20080417235054/http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14618039 . 17 April 2008 . Sify.com . 5 March 2008 . 10 October 2023.
  21. News: Three more governors shuffled . 10 October 2023 . The Times of India . 9 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121021041714/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-07-09/india/27896973_1_meghalaya-governor-bihar-governor-new-governor . 21 October 2012.
  22. Web site: Archive News. The Hindu. 31 May 2019.
  23. Ex-CBI Director Ashwani Kumar appointed Nagaland Governor, S C Jamir in Odisha. PTI . 9 March 2013 . India Today. 31 May 2019.
  24. News: Rs 38 crore lottery scam unearthed in Nagaland . 10 October 2023 . The Indian Express . UNI . 25 July 1999. The CAG report was authored by State AG who incidentally was brother of the Commander in chief of the then outlawed insurgent outfit NSCN (IM). Since the time the matter was raised during 2003, the State has been ruled by the regional govt. supported by NSCN (IM). The report estimated 800 Crore odd monthly as State income defrauded by the then government. There is no trace of similar income accruing to State government during the rule of subsequent govt, not even 1% of the amount allegedly defrauded. The whole allegation was thus unfounded and politically motivated.
  25. News: Suri . Ajay . CAG indicts Nagaland Govt in lottery scam . 10 October 2023 . The Indian Express . 24 June 1999 . en.
  26. News: Jamir's mother dies . Business Standard . PTI . 13 March 2016 . 10 October 2023.
  27. Web site: The University of Cambodia holds a ceremony awarding Governor of Odisha, S. C. Jamir with an honorary doctorate . uc.edu.kh . 10 October 2023.