Kohima, May 26 (NEPS): The Naga National Council (NNC) has come down heavily on the Government of India for its reckless attitude towards the Naga political issue and squarely blamed the latter for the current heightened “factional feuds between the two NSCN factions.” Talking to NEPS here today, Gen (Retd) Viyalie Metha, President, Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), said the Government of India entered truce pacts with the two NSCNs and then remained silent on the bloody factionalism.
“These truce pacts with the factions are like granting license to kill among the Nagas,” the FGN Chief blasted. “This is nothing but the clear reflection of the Government of India towards the Naga political issue.” The NNC would tell the whole world that the present killings amongst the Nagas were the handwork of the Government of India, he warned.
Gen Metha, however, asserted the NNC had the mandate of the Naga people to talk for them and “this is known clearly by the Government of India.” “As such the Government of India entered into truce pacts with the two NSCNs and political talks with the NSCN (IM) with a ploy to create an impression that the Naga issue is with them (two NSCNs),”
Asked why the present DAN Government could not do much in curbing the factional clashes in the State, the FGN Chief said, “This Ministry (DAN Government) has the backing of the NSCN (IM) and that is why they kept silent.” They knew everything but pretending as if they didn’t know what was happening because “they are backed by this group (NSCN-IM),” he alleged.
On the statements of the NSCN (IM) that the NNC leaders living in the Peace Camps had no right to talk for the Naga sovereignty, Gen Metha said the “NNC/Federal is not for individuals but it is an institution and platform made by the Naga people to fight for their cause.” He, however, explained that “One NNC member might commit a mistake, but you can’t blame the NNC or for that matter whole NNC members.” “We fought for the Naga sovereignty. We still fight for the same cause and will continue to do so till we achieve our goal,” said the FGN leader.
He said NSCN (IM) leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Th Muivah had once enjoyed the mandate of the Naga people when they were with the NNC. And they left the organization after criticizing the “Shillong Accord” and even attributed the Naga factionalism to it.
“But the fact is that the “Socialist concept” they adopted was the root cause of all these present turmoil in the Naga society,” the FGN leader said. Muivah was confused as he talked of Naga sovereignty and sometimes Naga integration and now sovereignty and this proved that they were un-mandated, the FGN leader expressed.
On DAN Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s remark that an interim arrangement could be worked out to the Naga issue, the FGN chief wondered as to how he (Rio) could utter such words while sitting on the “16-Point Agreement.” “This is simply we can’t understand,” he added. Gen Metha also said they were not adverse to talks with the Government of India if the latter was sincere.
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