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Dimapur, Dec. 4 (EMN): The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has taken strong exception to Nagaland Governor RN Ravi’s 58th statehood day speech and termed as ‘puerile, self-contradictory and misleading.’
“RN Ravi’s sterile narrative that glorifies the opportunistic educated middle class elites who betrayed the Nagas and became collaborators of the oppressors to create a truncated Nagaland as the “Founding Fathers” of Nagaland is oxymoronic. History bears testimony to the fact that the creation of the state of Nagaland in 1963 and the politics of betrayal machinated and executed through carrot and stick and divide and rule policies has not worked and will never succeed,” GNF stated.
It claimed that the speech had shed light on Ravi’s intent and inability to perform his role as the interlocutor of the Indo-Naga political dialogue. The forum also pointed out that the centrality of Ravi’s speech that “there can be no political solution above the present state of Nagaland” was to advance the divisive agenda.
While referring to the proclamation that some people are standing as a road block to the aspirations of the people of Nagaland though the political talks have been concluded on October 31, 2019, the forum was of the view that such utterance would harm India more than the Nagas. It accused India of lacking political wisdom for the delay in finding solution to the Indo-Naga political problem.
“Ironically, RN Ravi seems to think that the regimentation of the truncated Nagaland which is the root cause of the endless armed struggle leaving the trail of blood, betrayal and bitterness is the solution to the Nagas’ aspiration for self-determination. Nowhere has a problem been handed down and accepted as the solution,” the forum added.The forum went on to state that Indo-Naga process needs is a statesman as an interlocutor who will have the heart and intellect to objectively engage with the issue. Further, while agreeing with Ravi that the heart of Nagas/ Naga-land lives in its villages, the forum dared the governor to call for a plebiscite in all the villages of Nagas to determine their political future.