Dimapur, June 23 (MExN): In a response to a statement from the Government of India’s Representative and Interlocutor for the Naga Peace Talks on taxation, the NSCN (IM) reacted by saying the former is “desperately trying to criminalize the Naga political movement by questioning the taxation right of the NSCN.”
The accusation follows a June 21 statement from the office of the Interlocutor which said that taxation is a sovereign function which can be exercised only by the Government of India or a State Government. Forcible collection of money by any entity is extortion which is a criminal offence punishable under the laws, the statement had said.
Responding to this in a press release, the NSCN (IM) MIP stated that historically, “taxation is something which is deeply rooted in the history of the Naga resistance movement even before the Naga National Council (NNC) came into the scene.” It said taxation was there during the NNC time.
Stating that it collected taxes to support the Naga people’s political movement which started in 1929 even before India got independence from the British, the NSCN (IM) said that, “opposing the Naga tax is nothing short of obstructing the Naga political movement.”
The statement said that NSCN (IM) is a genuine political group and a government of the people with total commitment to find an honorable political settlement. “During the course of Indo-Naga political talks, passing through the hands of three interlocutor-ships, this taxation right was acknowledged indicating that NSCN have the right to tax to carry on its movement,” the release stated. It further said that the “unwarranted statement” issued by the Interlocutor’s office contradicts and violates the spirit of the hard earned Indo-Naga talks spanning more than 23 years.
It pointed out that the Government of India’s opposition to taxations by the NSCN instantly violates the FA wherein the two entities have agreed to coexist peacefully as two different entities sharing sovereign power. “As per the Framework Agreement, the Nagas are the masters of their own lands both below and above. So, why should India interfere in the internal matter of the sovereign Naga people?” it questioned.
It said that the matter of taxation was included in the competencies of the August 3, 2015 Framework Agreement and that “no one can deny these factual records of the Framework Agreement and the competencies.” Saying that “the sovereign rights of the Naga people to tax cannot be denied,” the NSCN (IM) added, “the Indo-Naga political talks is yet to be finalized as critical issues are waiting to be considered from the perspective of the Framework Agreement.”
