Thepfulhouvi Solo
The Government of India today (2015) is in a Ceasefire with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim only among the many Naga militant Groups for the last 18 years in search of a solution to the Naga Political Case. India had the 1964 Ceasefire Agreement -the Federal Government of Naga National Council still honors- unilaterally abrogated and recently its Ceasefire with the Khaplang Group of the NSCN has been terminated, but it claims repeatedly it will consult all the sections of the people before a final decision on the Issue.
The Aim of the Cease Fires, is to find a solution to the long standing Political Case between India and the Naga.
The Naga fought the colonial British from 1832 to 1879 and as Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, for the first time, demanded a “Constitution of India written by the people without any outside Interference”; the Naga in 1929 petitioned the Simon Commission, set up for the political Reformation in India, “to leave the Naga alone as we were before” when the (foreigners) found them.
A white Missionary, in the 19th Century asked a Villager for a piece of land, in the now Mission Compound, Kohima for the use of his Mission.
The Villager said:
“Yes, you can use the place but when you leave, my Land will revert back to me”.
The Missionary answered: “Certainly; I will not take your land to America”!
Sir Akbar Hydari, the Governor of Assam, on behalf of India, in 1946, signed a 9-Point Agreement with the Naga National Council envisaging the Naga to govern himself for a Period of 10 year, at the end of which, according to the Government’s version,
there would be negotiation for further arrangements. The Government’s version did not intend Naga Hills to be provided the dispensation of a complete whole Unit but just a part of another. The NNC differed with the Government’s interpretation and immediately sent a Telegram on 14th August 1947 stating:
“Naga hills cannot be considered part of the Indian Union until heads of the proposed agreement between the Governor of Assam and the Naga National Council is accepted to the letter for execution, with No. 9 modified as ‘at the end of this period the Nagas will be free to decide their own future'”.
Some Naga Communities were willing to accept the Government’s Version of the 9-Point Agreement but the NNC’s core workers perceived the deepest desires of the Naga and steadfastly stood on the Ground of the Naga desire and refused the Government’s Version.
To bolster its statement, the NNC embarked upon a completely unprecedented and unheard of Action. It decided to have Plebiscite by the Public to demonstrate the Naga’s desire to live his own live, his own Way.
All political functions of the people are performed by Office Bearers of the Organization on behalf of the People, but two astounding Actions of the Naga Case were performed, not by the NNC Leaders alone, but by every Man and Woman of Age himself and herself together on his and her own free will. The two actions are:
The Naga Thumb Impression Plebiscite of 1951 and the complete Boycott of Independent India’s Ist Parliamentary Election in 1952.
These two democratically performed actions by every Man and Woman of age, each singly on his or her own Free Will but together, not by the Office Bearers alone on behalf of the People, but by all the Citizens; stand out indelibly and historically, head and shoulder above any other actions of the Naga ever. No Naga Functionary or Representative of any Organization today or in future can overrule these 2 Actions, without the consensual mandate of the People! In the Naga Plebiscite of 1951, all Naga Groups are universally One.
Today some Naga Communities may like to accept a Nagalim (Greater Nagaland) version of a State of India if Nagaland is appended to it. This is unacceptable to Nagaland in view of the unequal political equation of the Naga in the States.
Any future political arrangement less than already available for Nagaland is unacceptable to Nagaland. Nagaland stands for more Constitutional Provision than is already in existence and nothing less.
It is apprehended the NSCN(IM) may demand amalgamation of Nagaland with other Naga Areas of Arunachal Pradesh, of Assam and of Manipur in a new Arrangement, in the Interest of the Naga of the other States or in its mutual Interest with India.
The political position of Nagaland is already in an incomparably high Status than found in any other States of India. This Special political Status cannot be compromised to please the IM or Government of India or any of the other Naga in general.
The Political Status of the Naga of Myanmar is also a completely different story. The Naga Areas there is territorially of a Separate Foreign Sovereign Nation of Myanmar and India has no Say on the Issue there. If it does, it will be in gross violation of internationally accepted Norms. Everybody knows what is impossible is not possible to integrate a foreign area to India, sovereign Independent or not.
India cannot make decision for the People or for the Land outside its Constitutional Boundary.
It is not much of a difficulty for India to create a New State out of its own Territory. Quite a few New States in India have been created out of old States or in amalgamation of parts of several States. Haryana and Punjab were separated into two States in our own days; Nagaland was created in 1963; 20 years latter, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal, Manipur, Uttaranchal, Chatisgarh were created and recently two new States came out of Andhra Pradesh in the South of India.
Over populated Uttar Pradesh may be divided into several States in the future to facilitate quicker development. There is no bar to creation of new State in India.
But what the Naga desires, is not for a new Nagalim State of India, nor Naga Areas of other States amalgamated to Nagaland forming a new UNITED NAGA STATE with much lower political Status than what Nagaland already has.
Nagaland is already a special State and in matters of Criminal Procedure for Justice, Land and its Resources, the State is almost sovereign in these two Subjects. It is constitutionally provided the Indian Parliament would not make any Law on the two Subjects unless the State Assembly so desires. Nagaland cannot be made to agree to any thing politically less than what it already has. NO way!
