Frontier Naga Territory shouldn’t be harbinger of division — Niki-led NSCN

DIMAPUR— Against the backdrop of the Centre’s offer of ‘Frontier Naga Territory’ (NFT) to Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) areas, the Niki Sumi-led NSCN/GPRN that “any Indian political arrangement in Naga lands shouldn’t be the harbinger of division within our Naga society or an obstruction to the Naga political goals.”

“ENPO areas have a very genuine grievance, when it comes to demanding parity in terms of economic development. On the issue of ‘Frontier Naga Territory,’ all apex Naga CSOs should have been more welcoming and accommodating with the mechanisms or arrangements being worked out amongst us, before involving GOI,” read the press release from the group.

‘The concerns of our eastern brothers should have been handled much better in cordial collaboration with the so called Advance Tribes,’ it stated.

“Factionalism has always been a welcomed sight in the eyes of our adversary, who has generously accepted it as a means to further divide us to a manageable size,” the group said.

“We should not be oblivious to the political churnings or the turbulent happenings in our neighborhood; Nagas should be deeply mindful of our political aspirations, lest, it be muddled like the ones doing the round in our neighborhood. Presently, Manipur State is a case in point planned by the adversaries who have willfully aided in the chaos; which has been long in the making, due to the insidious policy of divide and rule,” it added.

The Niki Sumi-led group also alleged that all the ruling parties of the adversary have always maintained their policy of encouraging, directly or indirectly, to exacerbate factionalism amongst Nagas, to further strengthen their political reign over our land and people.

“The Nagaland Legislative Assembly has once again been arbitrarily sidelined, eroding the existing provisions of the controversial Article 371(A) of the Constitution of India,” it stated.

It further asserted that “Naga people are the only hope for attainment of Naga political aspirations,” and that neither GoI nor anyone can fulfill their aspirations.