Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Feb. 22: Nagas around the world will hold a historic march—Global Naga Mass Rally— in Delhi on Saturday to demand the government of India for “immediate” political solution which is “honourable and acceptable” to the Naga people based on their historical facts and political legitimacy.
Under a spirit of unity, brotherhood and oneness, thousands of Nagas in the national capital and across the world will converge at the Jantar Mantar and march towards Parliament Street at 11 am on Feb. 23 to call upon the government of India as well as the global communities to lend their helping hands in finding a solution to the protracted Indo-Naga conflict which began more than 90 years ago when Nagas submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission in 1929 to leave them alone.
Leaders of civil society organisations like Naga Hoho, NMA, NPMHR, FNR, NTC and others from Naga-inhabited areas are also expected to attend the rally.
“The primary purpose of the rally is to express the deep sense of despondent prevailing among the Nagas due to protracted Naga political issue. While the negotiation keep prolonging on the pretext of one reason or other the situation back at home, Nagalim has turned from bad to worse. Unless govt. take the matter seriously and find solution, no one knows what is going to happen to the future of the Nagas,” one of the convenors of the event told Eastern Mirror via text message.
“It is not the interest of the Nagas to return to the old days of turning Naga Hill into war-zone like in 1960s. Nagas want justice as soon as possible, ushering peace in our land so that we would step into the new journey of peace and prosperity. The rally is symbolic expression of Naga's cry, asking global communities to give their attention and help us to find solution to our problem,” added the source.
The peace talks between the GoI and the Nagas has been continuing for more than two decades without showing much tangible result except the Indo-Naga Framework Agreement signed in 2015, read a statement from the organising committee of the rally.
The Naga areas that are contiguously situated in North-eastern frontier of India have been kept divided in the states of Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and in Myanmar; hence the demand to live together under self-rule so that they can co-exist with India in a co-sovereign political set-up and usher in peace to the entire Northeast, read the statement.
