DIMAPUR, MAY 18 (MExN): An emergency Joint Council meeting of the NSCN (IM) was held at Council Headquarters today taking strong exception to the statement of the AICC General Secretary incharge of Nagaland Ranjit Thomas wherein the Congress official had said that the “Naga peace talks should be determined and talked by the people of Nagaland but not someone else”. Ranjit’s statement it may be mentioned was carried in this daily based on his interaction with media persons at Circuit House, Mokokchung on Thursday evening.
“The house questions Mr Thomas, if he knows the head and tails of the Indo-Naga conflict and the peace talks”, the NSCN (IM) stated in a hard hitting response. “Since he is giving political statement as AICC General Secretary incharge of Nagaland, the house expect that he might be reflecting the stand and policy of the AICC”, it stated. The NSCN (IM) also questioned if his statement represents the political stand and policy of the government of India or his own self or that of the Congress party.
The NSCN (IM) reminded that after fighting for decades, a Congress government under the leadership of PV Narashimha Rao came to the Collective Leadership and stated that the Naga issue is a political issue and it must be solved politically and assured the Nagas through Collective Leadership for an honourable and acceptable solution to both the parties. It pointed out that for several times the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had assured that both parties will seek for honorable solution.
“Now, is Mr Ranjit Thomas representing the stand of the policy makers of the Indian government in general and the Congress party in particular?”, the NSCN (IM) wanted to know while also questioning whether this was another game of treachery of which the Indians are popular of. “Is this Indian way of sincerity toward the hard earned Indo-Naga peace talks?” The NSCN (IM) termed this as “another attempt of insult to injury, an act of putting salt and chilies in the wounds of the Nagas”.
The NSCN (IM) also stated that the statement of Ranjit was tantamount to “prescribing” the Indo-Naga political talks to be “within the parameter of the Indian Constitution”. “It is a historical fact that repeated request of the Indian government to the Nagas to join the Union of India was turned down by the Nagas”, it stated and making it clear that there is no “question of seeking the solution within the parameter of the Indian Constitution”.
It was also pointed out that from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru it has been only the Congress Party that has been “inflicting wound after wounds upon the Nagas”. “By the sanction of the Indian Congress party, hundreds and thousands of Nagas were murdered, countless of women folks were molested and raped and they have been atrociously given immunity from any kind of accountability. Subsequently, suppressing the rights and aspirations of the Nagas, Nagas have been divided and sub-divided into several arbitrary impositions. This is known historical fact”, the NSCN (IM) stated.
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress was also held responsible and answerable for bringing what the NSCN (IM) termed as “irresponsible person to confuse and exploit the peace loving Naga people” and pointed out that it was through these kinds of statements which brought “confusion among the people and create misunderstanding and disunity”.
“From this kind of divisive statement, one can know that the Indian mastermind the ‘Quit Notice’ and all related chaos in Nagas land to inflict communalism and simply aiming to confuse the Nagas and divert Nagas aspirations for self-determination”.
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