India Cornering the Nagas into submission?

Amsterdam, 24 August 2014

India Cornering the Nagas into submission?
And, pushing the Nagas into abrogating the Ceasefire and Peace Talks while blaming them for it?

Seventeen years of talking peace did not inch either nation closer to what the people desperately want and need. Generations have suffered and are suffering from the Indian Armed Forces occupying their lands and villages. There is no end in sight despite press quotes by the newly appointed representative of the New Government of India (GOI) Mr. Ravi who sees opportunities to accelerate the talks. He even mentioned a timeslot of three years to reach solution.

Why does NISC worry about the fruitless talks which could cause the ceasefire to break so the resumption of the 60 year old war between India and Nagaland becomes fact?

The are several lethal factors which inevitably will, if not addressed properly, lead to fresh clashes and will build up to the point of no return.

What factors are we talking about?

First The fresh in the saddle Modi Government of India appointed Mr. Ravi as its interlocutor to be in charge of the peace talks. Mr. Ravi is a retired Director of the Intelligence Bureau who criticized the then Government of India on starting peace talks and the Nagas as he said: ‘The process of a slow yet steady political reconciliation and social assimilation of the Nagas got perverted with New Delhi’s cynical engagement with the NSCN (I-M) since August 1, 1997. The ‘ceasefire’ with the outfit was in utter disregard for the logic of the prevailing situation. The crucial stakeholders — the popularly elected State government, the traditional Naga bodies that wield wide and deep influence on their respective tribes and other active militias in the fray — were excluded from the process. New Delhi missed the vital fact that the NSCN (I-M), notwithstanding its pan-Naga pretensions, is essentially a militia of the Tangkhul tribe of Manipur with little resonance with the broad Naga family. A deal cut with it would not be acceptable to the Naga society.’ Read the whole article below

Surely no Naga can accept an interlocutor with this demeaning attitude.

Second The recent uncalled for siege on the Nagas of Manipur creates the belief that the GOI favours the Meitei people of Manipur over and above the rights of the Nagas.

Third The lack of interest of the GOI regarding the flared up border dispute between Assam and Nagaland shows the GOI wants to weaken the stand of the Nagas and

Fourth With the commitment of the new Modi Government to make India a Hindu nation with Hindi as the national language means that this BJP Government has adopted the policy enforcing Hinduism rather than allowing the nation to be strong in Unity in Diversity, through language, culture, religion and history.

The question now is: Does Prime Minister Modi foresee victory when the war between India and Nagaland resumes? No remote possibility for his predecessors prolonged useless talks which paved the way and set the tune for the occupational forces in Nagaland to divide and rule with money and weapons and….. by exporting corruption creating rich and powerful and their hordes of cronies in its wake.

Government of India remember you put your signature under the UN Covenant which secured the Right to Self Determination for all Peoples. But, perhaps more importantly, please beware of the consequences on the policies mapped out but without accountability to the Indian people who are proud to be part of the greatest democracy in the world. The measures you take to achieve a peaceful solution for the conflict initiated by India’s first Prime Minister could bounce right back to you. Their follow up could lead to a bloody war between your Armed Forces and a strong Nagas and their allies.

Driving the Nagas and other peoples into the corner could lead to the opening of the proverbial box of Pandora.

For more information visit our website www.nagalim.nl or write to us [email protected]

A Naga International Support Center, NISC
www.nagalim.nl
A human rights organization