The Nagas were and are sovereign and independent people from time immemorial. At no time the Nagas had fallen into foreign domination. The Naga leaders led by A.Z. Phizo wanted to maintain and preserve the status of Nagas as sovereign and independent nation, thus declared the age old independence of Nagaland on 14th August 1947 in order to safeguard the sovereignty of Nagaland.
However, some educated Nagas who have different opinion from the Naga leader A.Z. Phizo worked for cooperation with India instead of safeguarding the sovereignty of Nagaland. On 11th April 1955, a public meeting was convened at Tuophema village, Angami Region by the leaders (like Eno T. Sakhrie, Eno Jatsokie) and advocated for the cooperation with India . But the Naga people did not accept their proposal for cooperation. A.Z. Phizo was not in the meeting, so Eno Vilekho hurried to bring A.Z. Phizo to the meeting from Jotsoma village. A.Z. Phizo came along with Eno Vilekho taking the whole night and reached Tuophema at dawn. The meeting started again for the second day on 12th April 1955.
However, A.Z. Phizo could not turn up to attend the meeting in time as he was tired of long journey. He was brought to the meeting of late by Naga patriots. A..Z. Phizo came and asked the members present in the meeting to stand up to those who stand for Urra Uvie (our country is ours). All members stand up. Again he asked to stand up to those who are for cooperation with India , but no one was there to stand. Therefore the following resolution was unanimously adopted from that public meeting, the resolution reads as follow;-
“In order to safeguard our country from troubles and chaos through foreign influence and, in order to preserve the peculiar characteristics of the Nagas as a distinct nation, it is resolved that there will be no political organization of international or foreign character in Nagaland”. “Any person or persons trying to set up or oppose, and drag the Naga anywhere through political, administrative, or through any other form or plan, designed to involve the Nagas with other country or countries which may lead the Nagas to be dominated nation and people, such person or persons will be dealt with as enemies of the nation and country”.
This resolution was rectified in the Naga National Council (NNC) meeting held at Lakhuti Village, Lotha Region on April 27, 1955, which becomes the Naga national Law.
Yet, some educated Nagas who stood for cooperation with India went on continued with their own interest and formed the so-called Naga peoples’ Convention (NPC) in 1957. Through which they signed 16-Point agreement with the Government of India on June 26, 1960 and formed interim government. The so-called statehood under the Indian Constitution was declared on 1st December 1963. But the majority of Naga people led by the NNC/FGN rejected the 16-Point agreement and continued to fight against the aggressor India and defended the sovereignty of Nagaland.
In 1957 A.Z. Phizo left for abroad and landed London U.K. on 12th June 1960. Soon as he reached London , he made extensive tours and spoke various groups and delivered lectures in universities across Europe and USA . His efforts gradually captured world opinion to support the right cause of Nagas especially some Western countries and he was on the threshold to presenting the Naga case in the U.N. However, the Naga Peoples’ Convention accepted statehood under the Indian Constitution by signing the 16-Point agreement hampered the task of presenting the Naga case before the United Nations.
The differences among the Nagas continued and as a result some renegade leaders defected from the NNC/FGN and formed self-styled organizations to fight against the NNC/FGN since 1968 one after another which known by all Nagas. The factions got a strong support from some of the so-called state politicians and made them to work against the NNC/FGN. Now they are suggesting to have an interim solution to the Indo-Naga conflict. Following their suggestion, Isak-Muivah group who has submitted 30-point charter of demand to the Government of India is now talking to form interim government. This is a clear indication that the Nagas are divided into two groups, the NNC/FGN who stand to safeguard the sovereignty of Nagaland and factions who stand for cooperation with India . The NNC/FGN considers the IM, or other groups, including the so-called state political parties are factions.
It is appreciable and interesting that now the Naga public leaders and Church leaders are tirelessly working for reconciliation among the Naga brothers as they want to bring divided Nagas to reunite again and fight for the common goal. The approach is good and it is the need of hour, but it requires patriotic sense to deal with.
In those days of 1950s some educated Nagas thought that the Nagas cannot develop by themselves, hence they stood for cooperation with India. But A.Z. Phizo and Naga patriots believe that the Nagas never depend on others for their survival from the time of our forefathers. The Nagas can develop by themselves as the Nagas have verse mineral deposits. Thus they stood to defend the sovereignty of Nagaland.
The world has changed too far from the 1950s and also the Nagas acquired much qualified scholars in various fields and now the Nagas need not to worry for the development of our country by ourselves. Therefore, it is possible time for all Nagas to bury the past differences and reunite once again under the banner of the Naga National Council and fight for the common goal upholding the Naga national principle which enunciated in the Plebiscite of 1951.
Thomas,
NNC Member.
