71 Years Of Naga Plebiscite Day Message By Gen (Retd) Thinoselie M Keyho, President Naga National Council

My Dear Fellow-Nagas,

In years gone by, our elders with the firm intent to remain as the Sovereign Naga Nation, on May 16, 1951 imprinted their thumbs; thereby making today, May 16, 2022 the 71st year most historic. On this very auspicious day, I on my own behalf and on behalf of the Naga National Council greet all the great Nagas with sublime joy and profound gratitude.

That the stupendous “Naga National Movement for free and independent Nagaland’’ had all along been in God Almighty’s scheme of things had been amply vindicated and proven on innumerable times and occasions. To this end, He had been most unerringly raising the most suitable Naga activist-leaders who would accomplish the most appropriate task at hand, in perfect harmony in the litany of beautiful Naga National chronology.  Moreover, God deserves all the more honour, gratitude and glory for the eternal fact that He had immortalised these National Historic events into the most steadfast monolithic truths and epics immutable by forces both internal nor external. The Naga leaders whose instrumentalities have brought about the Naga History into being are also being ascribed with profound gratitude and highest honours.

On close perusal of the past, both recent and distant, the clear Hand of God’s involvement in keeping the Nagas clean and separated in and for His services could most easily be discerned; that while the Indians, our neighbours had been still slumbering away in utter blissful ignorance, God Himself had laid the foundation and stockpiled all the eternal Naga National Rights in our favour; wonder of wonders!

I would pay special tributes to the multitudes of Nagas who had taken the pleasant task of safe-guarding and promoting the eternal Naga Truths by sacrificing their precious times, energy, wealth and even their very own lives; both the living and more so the dead. I most solemnly salute them all in deep reverence.

I most ardently hope and strongly believe that the present generation and all the ones to follow would hold these Naga Rights and the Naga Plights most lovingly close to their hearts and spirits.

Some amongst today’s truth-seeking populace must surely be eager to get to the root-cause of the ongoing Indo-Naga Conflict. Here is the gist once again:

Simply put – it is the most paramount question of “Right is Might versus Might is Right”. On the one hand, the Nagas have the absolute right – everything considered; but most tiny in size, meagre in number and feeble in strength. On the other hand India has absolutely no right whatsoever to be laying claims over Nagaland. But she is gigantic in size, large in number and mighty in strength. But who wins in the final reckoning?

Yes, the Nagas will surely emerge the overall clear winner. The most basic reason being that to her belongs every justifiable right without the palest shadow of the faintest doubt. But even greater still is that the Omnipotent God Jehovah very much is on our, the Nagas’ side.

God definitely has a grand plan to demonstrate His Righteousness and Justice with and through the instrumentality of the Nagas in this Indo-Naga Conflict. For this very cause, He has begotten us as His very own children, unworthy though we are; and has been enabling us all along, even avenging the atrocities maliciously perpetrated on us.

For the boldest of an instance: on December 04, 2021 the Indian Armed Forces most audaciously carried out unprovoked wanton slaughtering of innocent Naga lives on the flimsiest of excuses; manifesting all over again the total disdain, insolence and scornful disregard India had all along been harbouring, deep down to the very core of the heart, towards the ‘abominable’ Nagas – in line with the smouldering volcano’s unpredictable erupting at will!

The Nagas had been extremely outraged and utterly distraught, but being hopelessly limited we were helplessly lamenting the severe atrocity yet again in forced silence. Then the sad news broke that on December 08, 2021, virtually out of the calm blue sky came the astounding bolt when the highest epitome of the three Indian Defence Forces; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and his entire entourage met their violent ends in the tragic air-crash. Sinisterly the number of Naga casualties of the Oting massacre exactly matched those of the air-crash at Bandishola (TN). Many, if not all Nagas believed or at least contemplated that these are not just mere cases of pure coincidences!

The Government of India had been desperately trying to solve the Naga Issue through many ways and means but without any success till date; nor would she ever succeed. Why is that conclusion so resolute? The simple reason is that God has hardened her heart! With each and every attempt she finds herself being ever more entangled and exposed rendering her almost completely entrapped and shackled, also more vulnerable.

If India continues to pursue the old path of barbaric aggression and unfounded hostility towards Naga National Issue, she would only be faced with more failures and frustrations. But being the richly endowed strong Nation of high repute, she surely needs to delve into the massive repository of profound wisdom and noble statesmanship and come up with vibrant humane solutions honourable not only for the Region but also with Universal appeal and acceptance.

Yours faithfully has this piece of very wise counsel to offer, that functionaries of the Indian made (and scion) Nagaland State puppet Government must never be allowed to dabble in the Indo-Naga Political affairs. The State had been and will continue to be the single greatest obstacle and hindrance – everything considered.

Let every sane individual learn to dissociate the Naga National Politics from those of the State Politics. They are absolutely different and poles apart.

The answer to the final  Naga Solution lies entirely in the safe Hands of God Almighty. He had been urging the Government of India to honourably emancipate the Nagas, through various means including very stern warnings galore. But if she continues in refusing to pay heed to them, the untold miseries that come upon her would all be of her own makings.

Many, be they scholars or laity, do most rightly draw a perfect allegory of the Indo-Naga Conflict with that of Israel and Egypt of old. In which case, God’s Hand would be forced to bring about the one compelling reason sooner than later, impelling India to liberate Nagaland for good, but with a massive price.

In my humble reading, there need to be no more wars between Nagaland and India. The need of the hour is but one final meaningful dialogue.

Naga National Council’s policy all along has been Non-violence and Non-cooperation and we still stand most faithful to the sure-success stance.

Everything under the Sun has a beginning and an ending. And I am so much delighted in anticipating for a rosy conclusion.

Except for the most unlikely scenario of the Nagas’ self-defeating, deliberate rebellious intents of offending Him to the extreme extent of forcing Him to renouncing us (God forbid!); the ever loving God would never forsake us on His own volition. Learn this awesome truth, my dear fellow Nagas and run to Him for the matchless Grace and Mercy He freely proffers. He would most wondrously save the Nagas in His good time.  Let us therefore rejoice in the assurance of our bright future.

KUKNALIM