Dimapur, August 3 (MExN): Nagaland Unit Janata Dal (United) President Senchumo (NSN) Lotha accompanied by KC Tyagi, Secretary General and Afaque Ahmed Khan, Secretary JD (U) submitted a memorandum to Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister to convene a special session of the parliament to solve the Indo-Naga peace process “urgently and inclusively” on August 3.
Janata Dal (United), Nagaland President Senchumo (NSN) Lotha and General Secretary, Kitoho S Rotokha in the memorandum stated that “the Naga people correspondence with the Government of India started way back in January 10, 1929 when the Naga people under the banner of Naga Club Kohima submitted a Memorandum to the British Statutory Commission known as Simon Commission wherein, the Naga people strongly pointed to the British Government of India not to include the then Naga Hills within the Reformed Scheme of India citing historical and peculiar socio-political system of the Naga people which is quite different from the rest of India and requested the then British Government of India to leave the Nagas alone.”
Pointing that the then Naga Hill District was created by the then British India Government way back in 1866 covering all the Naga historical and traditional territories, it however mentioned that “for administrative conveniences, large track of Naga lands were systematically transferred to the then Sibsagar and Nowgong Districts of undivided Assam covering an area of approximately 12,883.07 sq.km which are still clandestinely occupied by Assam.”
Upholding this unique stand, the memorandum furthered that “the Naga people under the banner of Naga National Council (NNC) agreed to enter into a 'Nine Point Agreement' with the Emissaries of the Government of India, the then Governor of Assam Akbar Ali Hydari and Shri Gopinath Bordoloi, the then Premier of Assam from June 27-29, 1947 at Kohima prior to the declaration of India's independence.”
The memorandum released to the media added that the NNC conducted 'Plebiscite in 1951 and boycotted the first two general elections of India demanding for the Naga's Rights to Self Determination.
“However, this was immediate, countered by Gol with deployment of its Armed Forces with a view to suppress the rightful struggle of the Naga people whereby, thousands of innocent precious lives from both sides were lost and the conflict still unresolved,” it continued.
In an attempt to resolve the protracted Indo-Naga conflict, the Naga National leaders at the request of the Gol met the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru under the banner of Naga People's Convention and entered into '16 Point Agreement' with the Gol in 1962. However, the Naga National Council vehemently rejected the said Agreement as it was done without their consent, it said.
Adding that the legacy of the founder of the Janata Party Jayaprakash Narayan, who was one of the members of the Peace Mission formed in 1964 in bringing the warring Nagas to the Union of India under Cease-fire Agreement, still holds dearer to Nagas, JD(U) also recalled that he travelled extensively the length and breadth of Naga areas, patiently and passionately listening to the different tribes of the Nagas and thoroughly studied the rationale behind the Nagas Movement for independence.
Thus, the Peace Mission while recognizing the Nagas' "right for self-determination" recommended that the Nagas could "on their own volition, decide to be a participant in the Union of India and mutually settle the terms and conditions for that purpose," it said.
“It is for this bold decision, our founding father Jayaprakash Narayan had to face a volatile and sneering crowd all over the country. The successive governments at the Centre attempted to resolve the Protracted Indo-Naga issue that led to entering into Cease-fire Agreement in July, 1997, August 2001 and thence negotiation is on with the Naga National leaders for the last 21 years and subsequently a 'Framework Agreement' and a "Preamble" was inked on August 3, 2015 and November 17, 2017 with NSCN (IM) and NNPGs respectively, it further added.
It however lamented that “no tangible result has come out as expected by the Naga people despite your declaration of resolving Naga issue within 18 months and resolved declaration post signing 'framework' agreement in the International forum.”
The JD (U) Nagaland meanwhile noted that it was privileged to stage a 'Dharna' at Delhi in support of honourable and inclusive solution to the Naga issue on July 9, 2018 and further pressed the Union Home Minister to convene a special session of the parliament for an acceptable and inclusive solution to the Naga issue without further delay.
