Greetings to you all on this historic landmark day of the Naga nation. In a way, it is regretted that we are unable to have a public gathering to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Naga Plebiscite Day as planned due to surge of the Covid – 19 positive cases in our land in recent days. However, in time like this we all have to be careful for personal safety and public welfare, and pray to Almighty God that the pandemic is controlled.
At the right time, under the leadership of the then NNC President A.Z. Phizo organised and brought the Naga people to a plebiscite, given an opportunity to openly decide on their own free will to stay independent or to join India. The result was 99.9% to stay independent. When a copy of the outcome of the Naga Plebiscite was given to India, the then Prime Minister Mr. Nehru was furious and said “I will not allow Nagas to be independent.” When the Naga delegation told him they are “not asking independence from India”, then he got more furious. And that was how the history of conflict began with India ever since.
Nagas are not Indians, and Nagaland is not a Indian territory. As such, we are not “rebels” or “underground”. Nagas are living in their own country since time immemorial. Not only that, Nagas have a unique history of not entering into any written treaty with any foreign power.
As Indians saw the Nagas determination they became hostile to our people. We got the information that they wanted to capture NNC President, A.Z. Phizo- ‘Dead or Alive’. And when that failed, India invaded Nagaland and committed atrocities on our people to frighten us to submission but nobody surrender. Then they burnt down our villages and granaries to force our people to become refugees, but unlike other countries our people returned with community spirit of helping one another and rebuilt their villages. We are proud and immensely grateful to our people in the villages for their patriotism and tenacity.
Coming to the role of the Naga Army, wherever they fought with the enemy, there is no record that they were defeated. They defended the nation very well against immeasurable hardships in terms of numerical strength and superior weapons of the enemy.
This year we have entered the seventy four year of conflict with India since it gained its independence from Britain. We wonder how could India behave to the small Naga nation in this manner. Whatever may be, we love our country and we care for our people, and the Right is on our side.
In failing to subdue the Nagas, the Indian Government is using few Naga factions in their political game against us, forgetting their past history of under foreign occupation. Nagas and Indians have no shared history in anyway. We never had any political problem nor territorial dispute with India at any time in the past. As such, Nagas are not demanding anything from India, except to leave us alone.
In an occasion like this we are reminded more of God’s guidance and protection to the Nagas in all these difficult times, for which we are immensely grateful to Him. May God continue to bless Nagaland.
Urra Uvie
Adinno Phizo, President
Naga National Council
