NNC Lotha Region observed Naga Independence Day at LTC Hall, Wokha, on August 14.
Morung Express News
Wokha | August 14
The Naga National Council (NNC), Lotha Region, observed Naga Independence Day at LTC Hall, Wokha, on August 14, with members and the gathering reaffirming their commitment to the Naga political struggle and the principle of sovereignty.
Speaking at the programme, NNC Lotha Region president Ekyimthung Patton traced the Naga political movement to 1929 and said the struggle had continued for 97 years. He, however, expressed concern over the divisions within the Naga national movement, stating that more than 20 groups of Naga national workers had emerged over the years.
Patton alleged that several groups had entered into agreements and political arrangements under the Indian Constitution, which he said were contrary to the NNC’s position on Naga sovereignty.
According to Patton, only a few groups continue to uphold the sovereignty principle. He cited the Gen. (Retd.) Thenoselie group, Yillow Humtsoe and General Secretary V. Nagi group, along with some groups in the Eastern Region, as among those continuing to stand for sovereignty.
He said the Lotha Region had remained united under a single NNC since 2024 and urged other Naga sovereign groups to first come together. He maintained that the 1929 Political Memorandum of the Naga Hills and the 1951 Naga plebiscite should remain the guiding principles in the pursuit of a permanent political solution.
The NNC Lotha Region also reaffirmed its policy of non-violence and non-cooperation while opposing forced taxation. Patton appealed to Naga citizens and various political groups to come together on one platform and engage across one table to seek a solution to the long-standing political issue.
He further alleged that the Government of India was attempting to weaken the Naga national movement through ceasefire arrangements and financial means rather than through armed confrontation, which he said undermined the Naga people’s claimed sovereign rights.
