Naga flag and constitution non-negotiable — NSCN (IM)

Dimapur, Oct. 13 (EMN): The road to the final Indo-Naga political solution has become ticklish as the sensitive issue of Naga flag and ‘yehzabo’ (Naga constitution) remains as sticking points, according to the NSCN (IM).

The group’s chairman, Q Tuccu, issued a press statement on Tuesday asserting that for the Naga people, the issue of the flag and the constitution “stand tall because they symbolise our political and national rights.

“The government of India knows the political significance of these issues for the Naga people but come short of giving official recognition to be made a part of the final agreement. This is the crux of the ongoing Indo-Naga political talks and the reason why the going gets tough, leaving the NSCN negotiators with no option but to act tough,” read the statement.

According to Tuccu, Naga people ‘cannot afford to forget the political blunders of 16-Point Agreement and Shillong Accord’.

“We cannot allow such agreements to repeat and flatter us again. We cannot be blinded to go by the ghost of another Naga People’s Convention (NPC) that sold out our political rights and history. It will be an abhorrent act if we knowingly go against our history and political rights for which nearly 3 lakh Nagas have given their lives. One wrong step taken at this decisive stage is enough to make ourselves a laughing stock before the world,” he said.

The NSCN (IM) leader maintained that the ‘milestones of our history beginning from the formation of the Naga Club in 1918’ should be given a conclusive political meaning ‘in our time’.

“Naga National Council (NNC) was formed in 1946 as a political platform for the Naga nation. Naga people under this platform asserted their political identity by declaring Naga independent on the 14th August 1947 and cabled the message to the United Nations Organisation (UNO) and all the embassies in New Delhi and to the government of India. Few years later, on the 16th May 1951 Plebiscite was conducted where 99.9% voted for sovereign Naga independent nation.

“Since then we have never turned back but in the process we paid heavy price defending our God-given rights, Following the Indo-Naga political talks that followed after the declaration of Second Indo-Naga Ceasefire in 1997 we achieved another milestone when the uniqueness of Naga history and situation was given official recognition by the government of India on July 11, 2002. Nagas are sovereign people from time immemorial. They have never been a part of Indian Union or that of Burma (Myanmar). It was on this basis that the Indo-Naga political talks was guided and ultimately took us to signing the historic ‘framework agreement’ of the 3rd August 2015,” he said.

According to Tuccu, the stand of the NSCN (IM) before the Naga people is clear enough. “We strongly detest any kind of peace-meal solution, short of Naga national flag and yehzabo. We have stood our ground on these two non-negotiable issues and we shall continue to stand till the last man standing. NSCN shall be failing before God and before the Naga people if we stumble at this most decisive moment of our history.

“Naga people cannot be lured into accepting highly attractive economic packages at the expense of our exalted position with sovereign rights. We have to prove our worth as Nagas by upholding our flag and yehzabo. Our joint struggle with Naga people from all walks of life including civil societies, churches, bureaucrats, politicians etc. for over seven decades to live in dignity and peace should be given a new meaning. It is now or never. Appreciating contributions of Naga people towards Naga national cause, I urge Naga sons and daughters to give their concerted efforts till our rightful political destination is reached sooner than later,” the statement read.