Mokokchung, February 8 (MTNews): The Working Committee, Naga National Political Groups (WC NNPGs) stated on Wednesday that the Government of India must respect the United Nations Charter 1(2), which states, “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.”
WC NNPGs through its Media Cell said in a statement that, among all signed political accords, agreements and understandings between the Nagas and the Union of India in the last eight decades, the ‘Agreed Position’ signed between the Government of India (GoI) and the WC, NNPGs on November 17, 2017 is the only political document of the Naga people that has the UN Charter 1 (2) pertaining to ‘Right to Self Determination’ of peoples.
“The ‘Agreed Position’ and subsequent negotiated status paper between GoI and WC, NNPGs is very explicit. It did not create confusion or diversion. It did not insert mischievous non political words or deficient historical chronology. The GoI, having accepted Naga position, recognized the political and historical right of the Nagas to self-determine their future in consonance with their distinct identity,” the statement read, adding that the Agreed Position is, therefore, “as clear and unambiguous as can be, in black and white, for a thousand years.”
The statement also said that contemporary political realities denote a factual position that the Indo-Naga conflict is an unresolved conflict. “It is also a reality that the GoI has installed a puppet state government in Kohima, through periodic elections to enforce Indian political and administrative occupation of Naga homeland,” it further said.
Further stating that Indian elections “cannot finish the spirit of Naga nationalism,” the WC NNPGs went on to say that elections have never destroyed or dampened the Naga political rights and aspirations and that, “Every forced election in Nagaland will strengthen the Nagas to stand firm for their right.”
“The GoI leadership runs the risk of becoming the world’s largest democracy failing in its commitment to end the Indo-Naga political conflict through peaceful means. Unfortunately the culture of identifying the most crooked and corrupt regional politicians and enticing them to either join or ally with the ruling BJP party, is on a steep rise,” it observed.
Where is the solution?
The Naga people, WC NNPGs said, trusted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when in 2015, he announced in the packed stadium, in Dubai, UAE, that the Naga problem has been solved. Questioning where the solution is, the group said that in the 2018 elections, Naga people were sceptical but embraced the idea of ‘Election for Solution’.
“Five years down the line, although the negotiations have concluded, the GoI and the Nagaland state Government continue to play with the sentiment of the Naga people. The leadership Assembly elections will be held soon in Nagaland. Will the Naga people allow themselves to be fooled again?” it asked.
WC NNPGs said the Chief Minister of Nagaland had declared that forming an opposition-less government was solely to facilitate and hasten the Indo-Naga political solution. “However, instead of facilitating Naga solution, a blatant deceitful game is being played out,” the WC NNPGs stated, while alleging that the government has been offering cash and other materials to central messengers, political agents and prominent civil society leaders, “to sow more division and kill the people’s consensus.” Naga history will remember all active participants and their accomplices playing saboteur’s role to perfection, it cautioned.
It further went on to state that the Naga issue is older than independent India and that the Nagas were only partly under British control.
“The United Nations Charter 1(2) is precisely to remind nations like India to respect the political and historical rights of suppressed nations like the Nagas. WC NNPGs will therefore continue to pursue what is historically and politically correct for the Naga people. Elections will not weaken or blot out Naga people’s quest for a just future,” it said.