In this file photo, a cadre of NSCN (IM) stands guard beneath a Naga Flag during one of its Raising Day (January 31) at the Council Headquarter, Hebron. (Morung File Photo)
- Chairman Q Tuccu cautions against any attempt at dilution
- Calls FA India’s formal recognition of Naga political identity
Dimapur, August 3 (MExN): The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), today, reaffirmed its commitment to the Framework Agreement (FA). “The significance of this political agreement lies in the fact that sovereign rights of the Nagas were recognised by the Government of India (GoI),” its Chairman Q Tuccu said. The FA was signed on August 3, 2015.
Addressing the 10th anniversary of the FA, he cautioned that any attempt to undermine its political essence would be viewed as a betrayal of the Naga people's struggle and trust.
Reiterating its significance, Tuccu asserted that the FA defines the “road to the final draft of Naga political solution,” and the commemoration was to send a message that the NSCN (IM) is not going to give up what has been achieved and effected through the agreement to “reclaim our rightful place with sovereign right as a nation.”
“Though the Government of India is going slow under various pretexts, we have waited with our enduring commitment to stand by the FA, overcoming numerous challenges,” he added.
The NSCN (IM) Chairman declared its firm stance of non-deviation from the FA and called to “work together in the same spirit” that brought about the historic agreement.
The FA, he added, symbolically acknowledged the existence of the Naga nation, as testified by the recognition of the unique history of the Nagas by the GoI on July 11, 2002, during the Indo-Naga Political Talks that took place in Amsterdam.
Tuccu, meanwhile, contended that Nagas are at a crossroads today, and the NSCN (IM) does not have the “luxury to choose divisive politics within us”
“What is plunderous for history we have to abhor with the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation,” he exhorted.
Rules out FA-AP merger
At the same time, while Nagas are at a crossroads over how to establish a working system between the NSCN and the Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (WC, NNPGs), to find common ground for a political solution, he appeared to rule out such an arrangement. The WC, NNPGs is a conglomerate of several Naga political groups.
“For the NSCN to work with the NNPGs is a dangerous proposition,” he declared, maintaining that the WC NNPGs “propagate Naga political solution under the Constitution of India” and that GoI agency holds their reins.
The NSCN (IM), as the “torchbearer” of the Naga political movement, will not risk working with groups it accuses of compromising Naga history and political identity during talks with the GoI India, he added.
As per Tuccu, the WC, NNPGs was created by the GoI to allegedly “counterweight the bona fide leadership of the NSCN for Naga political solution” and signed the “Agreed Position (AP),” a copycat of the FA.
The FA and AP are “poles apart and we see no meeting point whatsoever,” he added, ruling out sharing a platform.
The NSCN (IM) Chairman called for a resilient spirit to defend the FA, stating its core lies in “recognition of our sovereign political identity as a nation.”
