Ao Senden confirms receipt, to discuss retraction on Wednesday
NSCN (IM) leaders Lieut Gen VS Atem and Rh Raising on Tuesday retracted their September 16 remarks concerning former Nagaland Chief Minister Dr SC Jamir, saying the comments were never intended to hurt the sentiments of the Ao Senden.
In their declaration, Atem, VC, AEM (Retd) and Deputy Ato Kilonser, NSCN (IM), and Raising, NC Special Emissary to the Collective Leadership, NSCN/GPRN, said, “If our comments on 16th September 2026 on Dr SC Jamir have hurt the sentiment of the Ao Senden, it was never meant to do so and therefore, we do retract it forthright.”
The Ao Senden has received the declaration from NSCN-IM leaders Lieut Gen VS Atem and Rh Raising retracting their September 16 remarks concerning former Nagaland Chief Minister Dr SC Jamir, but the apex Ao body has yet to indicate its position on the retraction.
Also read | Ao Senden seeks retraction of NSCN-IM leaders’ remarks on SC Jamir
Ao Senden president Marsanen Imsong confirmed on Tuesday that the Senden had received the declaration. However, when asked whether the Senden was satisfied with the retraction, Imsong declined to comment, saying the matter would be discussed at a meeting of the Ao Senden on Wednesday.
The retraction follows the Ao Senden’s September 23 demand that the two NSCN-IM leaders retract their remarks within 15 days “in the interest of the Nagas”. The apex Ao Naga body had described the remarks as disparaging and warned that failure to retract them would compel it to take its “own course of action”.
The remarks were made after Jamir met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Delhi. Following a September 16 consultation between the Political Affairs Committee of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and the NSCN (IM) at Chümoukedima, Atem questioned whether Jamir was “mandated” or “authorised” to speak on the Naga political issue.
Raising, meanwhile, said Jamir was “not an advocate of the Naga people” and that “he does not have any right to talk about issue of Naga people.”
The comments prompted the Ao Senden to maintain that the Naga political issue could not be treated as the exclusive domain of any individual, group or faction. It said any Naga with an understanding of the political situation had the right to comment and contribute towards advancing the stalled political process.
Also read | NSCN-IM constitutes 11-member delegation to meet Ao Senden
Following the Ao Senden’s demand, the NSCN-IM constituted an 11-member delegation to meet the Ao Senden in the interest of “Naga unity, mutual respect and peaceful resolution”. The delegation, headed by Mozamo Ngulie, EMSC-cum-Convener of the Steering Committee, with Kraibo Chawang, MCL-cum-Convener of the Political Affairs Committee, as co-head, reportedly met the Ao Senden on October 3, but the meeting was adjourned without a resolution.
