Kevichüsa Angami (15 April 1903 – 28 December 1990) was an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament, representing

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern 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 Naga Sel ...

in the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

, the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of India's Parliament. He was the first Naga IAS Officer and also the first Naga graduate. Kevichüsa was conferred the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Early life

Kevichüsa Angami was born on 15 April 1903 to an Angami Naga family from

Khonoma Khonoma is a Angami Naga#Western Angami, Western Angami Naga people, Naga village located about 20 km west from Kohima, the capital of the Indian state of Nagaland. The village is referred to as ''Khwüno-ra'' (named after the Angami language, An ...

. He did his graduation from St. Paul's Cathedral College, Calcutta. His father Nisier was the first Christian convert from Khonoma. Kevichüsa was educated at Baptist Mission School.

Political career

Naga National Council

The Naga National Council (NNC) had 29 officially elected members representing their respective tribal councils at its inception. These were elected from various clan or village councils. Kevichüsa was amongst its earliest members. Along with many representatives from the Angami and Zeme tribes, Kevichüsa then endorsed complete independence once the British left. In the NNC meeting held at Wokha in June 1946, he insisted,

Self-government should mean a government of the Nagas, for the Nagas, by the Nagas. Nothing else means anything to the Nagas. We have to be masters of our own country and be free.

After the 1951 plebiscite, Kevichüsa and some of the early leaders of NNC took a step back from their early articulations of self-determination as the movement evolved into a mass movement amidst intensified state repression. Kevichüsa soon resigned from the NNC. John Thomas places these actions amongst certain sections of the 'educated' Naga elites as typical response of national bourgeoise elsewhere. In the 1969 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Kevichüsa stood as the United Front's candidate from Dimapur Town and Dimapur Outer constituencies. He lost in both seats. While Kevichüsa polled 706 votes in the Dimapur Outer constituency, the Naga Nationalist Organisation candidate secured 3186 votes.

Member of Parliament

In 1971, as a candidate of the United Front of Nagaland, Kevichüsa stood against S. C. Jamir in the Lok Sabha elections. Jamir, then, was the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in the

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

government. During the election campaign, Kevichüsa attacked the Naga Nationalist Organisation for its failure to implement the "16 Point Agreement" with the approval of the Indian government. He promised to work towards the negotiation of a new political settlement. Kevichüsa registered an overwhelming victory with 102,596 votes (63.3%) defeating Jamir.

Personal life

Kevichüsa married Germanthangi on 15 October 1931. Together the couple had six daughters and five sons.

Legacy

In 2017, his family-run foundation–The Kevichüsa Foundation–instituted the ''A. Kevichüsa Citizenship Award'' to recognise an individual or group from the indigenous community who have 'championed, demonstrated, and embodied' the ideal of citizenship.

References

External links

Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angami, Kevichüsa Indian National Congress politicians from Nagaland Lok Sabha members from Nagaland India MPs 1971–1977 1903 births 1990 deaths People from Kohima district People from Kohima People from Dimapur Kevichüsa family