All about Naga peace accord and Rani Gaidinlieu
Thoudam Imomacha Singh *
Scene of Flooding in Sugunu area/Serou area on August 2 2015 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam
Although India is diligently called the largest democracy all over the world today, the recent mode of preparing a blue print for a Peace Accord to end “Naga Extremism” by the Narendra Modi Government lacks democratic solemnity.
The earlier Shillong Accord signed between Naga National Council (NNC) leaders and the Government of India (GoI) had culminated into the parting of ways among the Phizo proteges. The NSCN (IM) Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah and the NSCN (K) led by SS Khaplang came under a cease-fire deal with the Government of India. However, the NSCN (IM) alone had been engaged for talks with GoI for the last 5/6 decades to bring an amicable solution to the long standing Naga imbroglio.
A series of talks had been carried out at different foreign locations and other venues in India. GoI had also spent a huge sum of money on the arrangement for talks repeatedly without any beneficial conclusion mutually arrived by both the sides only for reasons known to them. While the talks had been going on from time to time, SS Khaplang who is the supremo of NSCN (K) had unilaterally backed out from the cease-fire deal with the GoI) recently. They (NSCN K) even led an ambush on an Indian Army cavalcade resulting into the loss of lives of many jawans in Chandel District of Manipur.
Thuingaleng Muivah has become a persona non grata to Manipur even if he was born in Ukhrul District of the Manipur State as his Nagalim dream became a possible objective of dismembering the territorial integrity of the tiny State.
The Government of different political parties in India since Jawaharlal Nehru’s regime had tried different appeasement method. But, if we look into the history of the people in the entire Northeast, not only the Nagas, but also every ethnic group in the region had its own history of pride and honour that the BJP led NDA Government at the centre ought to know.
Even the Britishers who were from a land beyond the seas had to retreat from India despite the fact that they relentlessly followed the policy of divide and rule. Politicians from the Indian soil who have been privileged of ruling the country should learn a policy of looking at every citizen of India equitably.
No Government at the centre can afford to be complacent to preside over the dismemberment of the Northeast only due to their erroneous handling of the situation. All the Chief Ministers in the region except for one or two are extremely concerned with the fact that what may be the outcome of the blueprint of the Naga peace accord when the details of the same could see the light of the day.
While celebrating the occasion of the birth centenary of Rani Gaidinlieu at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on August 24, 2015 our Prime Minister had the sagacity to recall the significant contributions of the Rani to the course of Indian freedom struggle.
It was a moment of pride and honour for all the Manipuris in the region as Rani Gaidinlieu was a firebrand Lady from Manipur, who was born on 26 January 1915, at a village called Longkao in today’s Tousem sub-division of Manipur’s Tamenglong District. In fact after the British Empire had hanged Haipou Jadonang on charges of sedition, the Rani had stepped into the shoes of the leader to take the responsibilities to refurbish the Jadonang movement against the colonial rule.
We are, indeed, proud of the fact that Manipur and the Rani Gaidinlieu have joined the chapters of the history of Indian freedom struggle. Honouring of Rani Gaidinlieu by commemorating her name with the construction of a multi-crore library in Nagaland where the Rani had stayed is a befitting tribute.
However, the most befitting honour to the Rani must be the construction of a gigantic memorial at her birth place in Tamenglong in Manipur which could house all the ingredients of a museum.
* Thoudam Imomacha Singh wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao
This article was posted on August 26, 2015.
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