Amidst heightened uncertainty and speculation surrounding the ongoing political talks between the Government of India and the Naga negotiating parties, the Naga people once again faces a critical bend in its political journey. The Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) has expressed concern over a proposal it alleges have been submitted to the Government of India (GoI) by a group of people, mostly retired politicians and bureaucrats from Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) areas.
The alleged proposal includes two points that the NNPGs considers to be antithetical to the Naga political aspiration. If the claims made by the NNPGs are proven to be true, the ENPO leadership would have much to explain to the Naga people in general and the Eastern Naga people in particular.
The first point according to the NNPGs is that all present National Workers from ENPO areas, all branded as misguided and anti-social elements, will be made to surrender along with arms when the ENPO issue is resolved with GoI. The leaders will be provided with one licensed weapon each. The NNPGs argues that this would be a betrayal of the Naga political aspiration, which is for a united Naga nation.
The second point is that all ENPO areas along the Myanmar border will be fenced and sealed in order to prevent insurgents, drugs, and arms smugglers from indulging in cross-border illegal activities. The NNPGs argues that this would prevent the free movement of Nagas between India and Myanmar across the border that is regarded as arbitrary and artificial. The NNPGs also believe that this is a sign that the authors of the proposal are not interested in the best interests of the ENPO people.
In addition, the NNPGs also make the following points: That, the Indo-Naga issue is a political and historical issue that includes all Nagas, regardless of where they live; The resolution of the Indo-Naga political problem can adequately address the grievances of the Eastern Naga area; The state government should not use the ENPO issue as a pretext to divert attention from the impending Indo-Naga solution; There should be no strings attached as far as the Indo-Naga political issue and ENPO demands are concerned; and ENPO should not address Naga historical and political matters because highly regarded and acknowledged leaders from among ENPO tribes have been integral part of the Naga negotiating team.
The NNPGs’ statement is a strong condemnation of the proposal submitted to the GoI by the ENPO leaders. It is also a clear statement of the NNPGs’ position on the Indo-Naga political issue. The WC NNPGs have stressed that the Naga issue encompasses the interests of all Nagas residing in Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Myanmar.
Interestingly, the latest WC NNPGs’ claim comes at a time when the Nagaland state government has reportedly been made a party to the GoI-ENPO talks and when there are reports doing the rounds that a tripartite agreement between the GoI, ENPO and the Nagaland government is soon to be arrived at.