Members of the Concerned Naga Forum of Nagaland in Dimapur on March 25.
‘Indo-Naga political issue not an ATM for Naga Political Groups’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 25
The Naga political issue is no longer a matter of negotiation, but a matter of survival, according to the Concerned Naga Forum of Nagaland (CNFN). The CNFN, which initially started out as a gathering of “like-minded elders,” told a press conference in Dimapur, on March 25, that they have no political leanings, with their only purpose being the immediate implementation of a political solution based on the concluded agreements— the Framework Agreement and Agreed Position. They refuted the forum’s rumoured link to the Congress party.
Comprising mostly of former state legislators and retired bureaucrats, they converged on the argument that the political dialogue between the Government of India and the Naga Political Groups (NPG) officially ended in 2019. Former Chief Minister and Governor Dr SC Jamir, former Minister and Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee President K Therie, retired IAS bureaucrats KK Sema, HK Khulu and Alemtemshi Jamir are some of the prominent figures in the collective.
They denounced the current stalemate as a “philosophy to keep us trapped,” while turning the state into an “ATM” for some 30 odd Naga Political Groups, and in the process, burying the future of the Naga youth under the weight of illegal taxations.
HK Khulu, Convenor of the Core Committee maintained that it is neither an NGO nor a political body but a group of concerned elders. Khulu questioned recent moves by the state government’s Political Affairs Committee to resume talks. “When negotiations were closed, as announced in the Assembly, how is it that there is an appeal for political-level negotiations? Does it mean that we are going to again start negotiations?” he asked.
Dr SC Jamir, the only surviving signatory of the 1960 16-Point Agreement and Chairperson of the CNFN Advisory Council asserted that the 2015 Framework Agreement with the NSCN (IM) and the 2017 Agreed Position with the WC, NNPGs were arrived within the parameters of the Indian Constitution. According to him, the two agreements do not include sovereignty and geographical integration.
“Whatever they have agreed naturally, it has to be within the Constitution of India. No Prime Minister, however popular or powerful he might be, can go against the Constitution of India,” he said, while urging the Government of India (GoI) to maintain the “sanctity” of the two Agreements.
Core Committee member K Therie placed the responsibility for the impasse on the Nagaland state government. He claimed that the Central government is ready to implement the solution if the state provides full cooperation. He rejected the Chief Minister’s proposal for a “Pan-Naga” authority, stating that it goes against the December 2019 joint memorandum submitted by the 14 Naga tribes’ of the state to the Prime Minister. He held that a Pan-Naga platform without territorial integration is not only illogical, but would also override the Nagaland Assembly. He urged the Assembly to pass a resolution endorsing the two agreements instead of demanding the appointment of a new interlocutor and resuming the talks.
Former Chief Secretary Alemtemshi Jamir pointed to businesses shutting shop and leaving the state as a symptom of the political deadlock. He termed the current state of affairs as a generational emergency, stating that time is running out for the youth.
Z Lohe claimed that some businesses face up to 20 different types of taxes from various groups. “Nagaland cannot continue to be an ATM for all the Nagas from everywhere else,” Lohe said, while stating that a political solution is the only “medicine” to end the harassment.
KK Sema said that it is contradictory for any group to claim “shared sovereignty” while simultaneously negotiating for increased seat representation in the Indian Parliament. He demanded that the negotiating parties be honest with the stakeholders about the actual contents of the agreement. He said, “We are not against NSCN (IM) per se. But I’m against the policies of non-transparency and their inability to speak the truth and talk to the people honestly.”
Alemtemshi reiterated the CNFN’s perceived apoliticality. “We have not met with the WC, NNPGs neither have we met with the NSCN (IM)… We are not projecting any of their views. If there's something similar in the opinions expressed, that is by coincidence,” he said.
The CNFN argued that the public and the government should recognise that the formalities of the peace talks are complete. They called for the removal of arms and the cessation of illegal taxation through a final political settlement. According to them, the longer the issue drags on, the greater will the people suffer.
