Indo-Naga stalemate: Muivah sought arrangement to leave country

Citing lack of response from PMO, Naga group releases content of Muivah’s letter to Modi in February

Dimapur, Oct. 5 (EMN): In what could be the clearest indication yet about the depth of fracture in the relation between the NSCN (IM) and the Centre’s interlocutor RN Ravi, it has now emerged that the Naga group had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in February this year, to make arrangements for the NSCN (IM) leaders to leave India and resume the Indo-Naga talks in a third country.

This proposition was contained in a letter from the NSCN (IM) leader Th Muivah to Modi, which was written on February 25.

On Monday, October 5, the Naga group released the letter to media establishments. ‘We deliberately withheld the letter from releasing to the media for public consumption as we waited with all confidence that the prime minister of India will respond positively. Today, NSCN being accountable to the Naga people hereby release the letter to inform of the delay and the lack of response from the office of the Indian prime minister to our people,’ it stated.

In the letter, Muivah had reminded the prime minister that “we first arrived in India in 2002” at the official invitation of the government of India (GoI).

He said that “we have since 2010 patiently stayed in India to conclude an acceptable and honourable political settlement. As mentioned, several rounds of talks with the prime ministers of India and the representatives of the Gol have already been completed and the unique outcome was the signing of the ‘framework agreement’ on August 3, 2015.

“However, in the given circumstances and in order to save the political dialogue, the talks should resume at the highest, i.e. prime minister level; without pre-condition; and outside India in a third country. And if our stay in India is no more welcome, all necessary arrangement must be made for us to leave India and the political talks be resumed in a third country.”

The ‘given circumstances’, as referred to by the NSCN (IM) leader, was detailed in the letter.

“Today, we also bring to your notice some matters of serious concern regarding the activities of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and its agencies including NIA and Assam Rifles…we are totally shocked and surprised that even after more than two decades of political negotiation, the MHA and its agencies have become obnoxious.

“It has come as a total shock and surprise that the Gol has started branding and accusing the members of the NSCN who are in political negotiation as ‘terrorist’ and with impunity they are arresting the members of the organisation. The activities of the MHA are deliberate and calculated policies of the Gol to downgrade the political negotiation to India’s internal law and order issue,” he said, adding that the design and intent of the MHA and its agencies were unjustifiable.

“The activities of the PMO representative of the Gol after his appointment as the governor of Nagaland has become a matter of great concern as he is consciously functioning within the law and order purview of the Constitution of India. It is a deliberate deviation from his appointment as the representative of the Gol for the Indo-Naga peace talks. The activities of the representative of the Gol is polarising the Naga society instead of uniting the Nagas for an honourable political solution. This can be observed from the activities of the representative of the Gol who is segregating the Naga civil society and meeting only a certain section of the Naga society who are not committed to genuine political solution and who do not represent the genuine aspiration of the Naga people,” the letter read.

According to Muivah, the act of the Centre’s representative undermines the ‘sanctity of the FA, the signing of which was witnessed by the important leaders of India including the prime minister’. He added that such actions of the interlocutor would be another “Himalayan blunder while dealing with the indo-Naga issue”.

According to Muivah, Ravi was disrespectful to the NSCN (IM) team during their talks on January 30, 2020, in Dimapur by referring to the Naga group’s proposal submitted on January 18, 2020, as “stupid and contaminated”.

Ravi, he said, refused to take cognisance of the draft proposal.

“After the political talks of January, 30, 2020, the representative of the Gol has again given an ultimatum to the NSCN through an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer stating, ‘the next date of meeting will be fixed after NSCN submits its draft proposal as was told to them in the meeting dated January, 30, 2020,” he stated, and asked if this was done under the directive of the central government.

“The behaviour of the representative of the Gol towards the Nagas is totally unacceptable. History has shown that Nagas have not taken lightly with any insults hit on them which have led to the decades old Indo-Naga conflict that is yet to be resolved. The ‘politics of fear’ against the Naga people which the Gol and MHA have sanctioned on the Nagas is having a serious ramification that is undermining the ongoing political dialogue,” Muivah had written.

Also, the NSCN (IM) leader had reminded the prime minister that Nagas are not demanding “anything from India, but the Naga people should have our God-given share here on earth”.

“We, the NSCN and the Nagas, are prepared for an honourable solution. However, if India or the BJP-led NDA government is not prepared and be ready to let the Nagas have their share of an honourable and acceptable political solution, then, let the Lord God Almighty judge between India and the Nagas.