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Dimapur, March 2 (EMN): Despite mutual claims of having arrived at some manner of compromise between the NSCN (IM) and the government of India’s interlocutor to Naga peace talks, RN Ravi, it would appear that post-October 31, 2019 negotiations between the two parties are from smooth sailing.
Most recently, Ravi had used his usual media channel in Nagaland to accuse the NCSN (IM) of misinterpreting the ‘framework agreement’ signed on August 3, 2015.
In a statement issued on Monday, the NSCN (IM) termed Ravi’s statements as “irresponsible and misleading”.
“…the following statement has been given to shed light on the immature and malicious statement of the representative of the GoI, RN Ravi, and to remove any doubt in the minds of the Naga people and others in the larger interest of peace and resolution of the Indo-Naga political conflict.
“The NSCN does not consider the FA contentious and there is no ambiguity about it. The NSCN recognises that it is a broad framework whereby a foundation was laid towards resolving the decades-old Indo-Naga conflict through mutual respect of each other’s history and sharing of sovereignty or sovereign powers between the two entities. The NSCN is firm in its commitment to resolve the decades-old Indo-Naga issue based on the FA which was witnessed by the leaders of India including the home minister, the chief of the army and the prime minister of India. Both parties have mutually agreed that within this ‘framework agreement’ the details and execution plan will be worked out and implemented,’ read the statement.
According to the group, the framework agreement ‘recognises that the Naga issue is political and therefore implying that it is not the internal law and order issue of India. It reaffirmed and recognised their ‘unique history and situation’ which entails that Nagas were never a part of India either by conquest or by consent’.
Against this scenario, it stated, the proposed pan-Naga Hoho “shall be a statutory body, represented by Nagas, wherever they are, from respective tribes or regions democratically. It will safeguard and promote Naga identity, integrity and interests including social, cultural and customary practices, language and dialects of various Naga tribes.”
“It will play an advisory role in the field of promoting education and development. There will be a proper representation of eminent Naga personalities, women and minorities. The chairman and its executive members shall be in the rank of cabinet and an eminent Naga person shall be nominated to the Rajya Sabha,” read the statement.
According to the group, the integration of Naga areas and the statutory pan-Naga Hoho, with its features mentioned above, has been mutually agreed upon and therefore “we are surprised and taken aback that the issues are projected as ‘contentious’ in the negotiation by the current representative of the GoI”.
“It must also be mentioned that both the parties have mutually agreed and concluded that the political power of a government including, legislative, executive and judiciary, shall be with the Naga government. The agreement shall cover all Naga areas. The Naga government shall exercise its powers on the mutually agreed competencies and amongst others, the Naga government shall have a separate budget, responsible for internal security. The contentious issue is the ‘Naga national flag’. The anthem, emblem and insignia are already agreed by the GoI,” it claimed.
The group maintained that the final acceptable and honourable political solution must uphold the sovereign national identity of Nagas, which includes the Naga national flag and constitution. “This position of the NSCN is not a misinterpretation or dilution of the FA,” it stated.
The NSCN (IM) also trained its gun on Ravi. “The Representative of the GoI, after his appointment as the Governor of Nagaland, is visibly dealing the Indo-Naga political talks within India’s law and order subject. The Ministry of Home Affairs and its agencies including the NIA and the Assam Rifles have become extremely active after his arrival to Nagaland as the Governor.
“His policy of scheming and conniving with the so-called NNPGs and mobiliSing some tribes from so-called Nagaland state and excluding the main stakeholders of the Naga society including the Naga Hoho, Naga Mothers’ Association, Naga Students’ Federation and Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights is clearly against the spirit of a Naga solution which the NSCN and the Naga people are striving for. His misinterpretation of the already agreed competencies including the pan-Naga Hoho and integration has come as a shock to the NSCN and the Naga people,” read the statement.
“The surreptitious activities of the representative of the GoI with the so-called NNPGs and his intention of signing an agreement with these factions will surely undermine the sanctity of the FA which was witnessed by the leaders of the GoI including PM of India. Most of the contents in the GoI proposal, which was submitted during RS Pandey’s time was per se not acceptable to the NSCN; however, the NSCN and its leadership decided to expand the proposal for an acceptable and honourable political settlement of the two entities based on the principle of ‘shared sovereignty’. It was a high point in the statesmanship of both the parties that the FA was signed.
“The NSCN value the fact that the political dialogue had started in 1997 at the highest level, without precondition and outside India in a third country. The political negotiation has taken 22 years but in spite of this extended period of political negotiation, the NSCN considers it realistic and pragmatic that during this period the GoI recognised the unique history and situation of the Nagas and subsequently signed the FA. The NSCN is patient and we have not deviated from the FA neither is there any change in our position nor have we changed the “goalposts” as stated by the Representative of the GoI,” read the statement.