Rungsung Suisa (4 March 1907 – 17 April 1971) was an Indian politician.
Suisa was one of the key figures in the movement to unite
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
-populated areas in
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
with the Naga Hills (
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...
).
He was popularly known as 'Uncle Suisa'.
Rungsung Suisa belonged to the
Tangkhul Naga tribe.
He was the son of Rungsung Luithui.
He hailed from Somdal,
Ukhrul district
Ukhrul district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in India with its headquarters at Ukhrul, that is Hunphun. The district occupies the north-eastern corner of the state ...
.
[''The Sangai Express''. ]
Nagas' demand for integration: A historical perspective - II
' He studied at the Jorhat Christian High School.
He was amongst the first youths of the Manipur
hill people
Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains.
This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation.
The climate is generally harsh, with s ...
to obtain matriculate education.
Suisa was one of five hill leaders named by the President Manipur State Darbar to participate in the Constitution-Making Committee in 1946. However, Suisa and the other hill leaders did not attend the first session of the committee.
On 13 August 1947 he chaired a meeting of hill leaders, at which the assembled demanded that the hill peoples should have the right to secede from Manipur after a five-year period. However, these demands were not heeded by the committee, and in the new constitution the administration of the hill areas was placed under the control of the Maharaja.
In June 1948 he was elected unopposed to the Manipur State Assembly.
In 1949 he visited Burma, and came into contact with the
Communist Party of Burma
The Communist Party of Burma (CPB), also known as the Burma Communist Party (BCP), is a clandestine communist party in Myanmar (Burma). It is the oldest existing political party in the country.
Founded in 1939, the CPB initially fought aga ...
. His experience in Burma radicalized his political approach, taking a more revolutionary stance in local politics upon his return.
He became a member of the Manipur Electoral College in 1951.
Suisa was elected to the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
(lower house of the
parliament of India
The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
) in the
1957 general election. He stood as the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
candidate in
Outer Manipur constituency, obtaining 21,316 votes (26.24% of the votes in the constituency).
[Election Commission of India. ]
STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1957 TO THE SECOND LOK SABHA - VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)
' In parliament, he was represented in various committees.
The Manipur Naga Council boycotted the
1962 general election and Suisa was one of the Naga leaders that was detained at
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
for about a year.
Suisa was assistant to the vice president of the
Naga National Council
The Naga National Council (NNC) is a political organization of Naga people, active from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. It evolved out of the Naga Hills District Tribal Council, an organization established in 1945 by the Deputy Commissioner of ...
1964–1966.
In October 1966, following the deadlock in the peace talks, he presented a proposal to solve the Indo-Naga conflict through confederation, with shared responsibilities between India and Nagaland on foreign and military affairs, but full Naga sovereignty on internal affairs.
He sought to mediate between the Indian government and the Naga leaders.
Allegedly,
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
was open to accept Suisa's proposal.
However, the NNC opposed these moves and did not accept his proposal, as it went against their demand of complete independence.
Suisa had travelled to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
together with
Vizol Angami
Vizol Vitso-n Koso (16 November 1914 – 3 March 2008) was an Indian politician from Nagaland who served as the 4th Chief Minister of Nagaland twice from February 1974 until March 1975 and November 1977 until April 1980. He became the Chief Min ...
in June 1967 to present the proposal to
Angami Zapu Phizo
Angami Zapu Phizo (16 May 1904 – 30 April 1990) was a Naga nationalist leader with British nationality. Under his influence, the Naga National Council asserted the right to self-determination which took the shape of armed resistance after the ...
but it was rebuffed by him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suisa, Rungsung
1907 births
Manipur politicians
India MPs 1957–1962
Indian National Congress politicians
1971 deaths
Naga people
People from Ukhrul district