Thomas
NNC Member
To whom we blame is now a question for the Nagas, like what has gone wrong. For me, the Nagas should blame the traitor Nagas.
The Nagaland territories had never been part and parcel of India since time immemorial, and based on this history, the Nagas submitted a memorandum to the British Statutory Commission on January 10, 1929, stating; “Leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient time.” Hence, the Nagas in one accord prepared to declare the age-old Independence of Nagaland and formed the Naga National Council (NNC) on 2nd February 1946. Duly the NNC declared the Naga Independence before India and Burma obtained their independence. Also, the NNC rejected to accept the Indian Constitution on January 24, 1950. Again the declaration of Independence was affirmed by 99.9% of Naga people when the NNC conducted the Naga national voluntary Plebiscite on May 16, 1951. With these historical landmarks, Nagaland was founded on solid rock by our forefathers.
But without regarding the historical landmarks, some educated Nagas refused to cooperate with the Naga National Council and accepted a Statehood under the Indian Union in 1960. But the NNC rejected it, hence, the Indian Prime Minister Nehru relented to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) in 1964 and started Prime Ministerial level Talks from 1966 up to 1967. However, some of our Naga National leaders refused to pass the Indo-Nagas case to the NNC President AZ Phizo, broke away from the NNC/FGN and formed a Revolutionary government on 2nd November 1968 which made a setback to the Nagas.
The NNC/FGN firmly stood again and sent Th Muivah and Isak, the then NNC General Secretary and Chaplee Kilonser (Finance Minister) of FGN to China. During they were in China, home leaders were forced to sign a Shillong Accord under duress in the capacity of underground Organizations. The accord however did not ratify by the FGN and the Government of India (GoI) as well and thus not a single talk has been held based on the Accord. Yet it was noteworthy that the signatories of the Accord passed the Indo-Naga case to the NNC leaders in 1977. In those days NNC leaders were in abroad. At that time Muivah was also in China.
But it was unfortunate for the Nagas once again because Th Muivah, NNC General Secretary rejected to cooperate with Phizo, NNC president, and formed the so-called NSCN on January 31, 1980, without attempting to solve the Indo-Naga conflict in the international arena by the NNC leaders leading by him and AZ Phizo. And now he is demanding a solution within the Indian Union, rejecting the sovereign existence of Naga nation. Can it be a solution to the Indo-Naga conflict?
Therefore, the right-thinking people of Nagas along with me have to blame traitor Nagas for failing or lingering to solve the Indo-Naga conflict, not only blame India.
