Dimapur, August 22 : Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has appealed to the Prime Minister of India for inclusive Naga political solution and said that in the event of any negotiation leading to finalization of any agreement under Framework covering Nagaland, prior consent of the stakeholders is a must and all the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) must be taken on board.
NTC president Lendinoktang Ao and general secretary Nribemo Ngullie in a memorandum to the Prime Minister submitted through Governor of Nagaland asserted that Nagas of Nagaland are not in a position to accept any point under Framework that either modify, dilutes or infringes upon any provision in Art 371(A) under any circumstances.
The Council comprising Indigenous Naga tribes of Nagaland also said that Naga integration should evolve the coming together of the Nagas with their lands to live in a single State and if not it will not accept mere population integration.
In view of the 18 years of political negotiation between the GOI and NSCN (IM) and the contemplation to arrive at a conclusion with agreement under the 3rd August 2015 Framework, the NTC said, the Indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland are not at all aware of the contents of the agenda as it has never been disclosed all throughout the process of negotiation.
“Nagas of Nagaland are small tribal population who were considered vulnerable by the pioneers of India. That those pioneers found the tradition, culture and their lands and its resources are inalienable part of their life and therefore its protection and preservation was paramount in the interest of both the Nagas and the country. In view of providing legal insulation from possible exploitation, the conditions in 16-Points Memorandum of 1960 were incorporated in Art 371(A) of the Indian Constitution at the creation of the 16th State of Nagaland. The Nagas of Nagaland hereby make ourselves explicitly clear to your esteemed authority that we are not in a position to accept any point under Framework that either modify, dilutes or infringes upon any provision in Art 371(A) under any circumstances.”
“That No. 13th of the 16-Points Memorandum of 1960 refers to Integration of Naga contiguous areas. The NTC upholds the principle of amalgamation of all the Naga inhabited areas in the North East India into a single administrative unit, and this has been the long cherished desire of the Nagas of Nagaland. Nevertheless, the fact of the natural law is that, the land and its people are but one and inseparable. Naga Integration should therefore evolve the coming together of the Nagas with their lands to live in a single State.”
The NTC said, “Nagaland is one of the smallest States in terms of its geographical area which stands at 16,579 Sq. Kms having almost 2 million populations. For the survival of the Ethnic Indigenous inhabitants and with the limited area of land, we cannot afford to allow Nagaland to become the concentration camp or designated area for all hue.”
