Unfolding the shrewd game of divisive politics
- Imphal Times Editorial :: October 22 2019 -

With the statement about the initial points of agreement that was signed between the representatives of the Government of India and the leadership of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim led by its general Secretary Th. Muivah on August 1, 1997 at Bangkok in Thailand, it appears that the group had morally defeated and that the journey which has started by Th. Muivah and Isak Chi Swe, at the cost of thousand Naga revolutionaries are yet another fail chapter in the history of Nagas.

Government of India is keen in ending the over 2 decades old peace talk by the end of this month (October) and the solution now is shrewdly handled to finalise at the wisdom of the Government of India.

The outcome may be a catastrophe with unexpected upraise in three states of North East India, as the only possible agreement that the government of India may reach with the NSCN-IM or Naga Political groups is more autonomy presumably granting of a state within a state like structures.

Perhaps this might be the reason for the Union government to sent MoS, Ministry of Home Affairs K.Reddy here in Imphal today.

As even the government of Manipur is set aside from all preparation to bring a final solution with the NSCN-IM and the Naga Political groups, a serious meeting of all state legislators was convened by the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

The apprehensive node to even the legislators of the state showed that something that might be unexpected may happened and there is also nothing wrong for the people of the state to prepare for facing any eventuality coming out of this political solution.

Well, Hutovi Chishi, the Convenor of the steering committee of NSCN-IM in a statement said that the initial agreement reached out between the two in August 1 , 1997 was that the talk should be at the highest level and without any preconditions and that it should be in a third country.

When the talk is nearing its final stage now the so call highest level mentioned has been reduced to talk with the governor of Nagaland and that it has been continuing now in the country particularly in the state of Nagaland or at New Delhi with the condition that the solution should be done within the framework of Indian Constitution.

The idea of a sovereign nation by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) which was formed n January 31, 1980 due to differences with the NNC started igniting its first failure in 1988.

The unity of Nagas started crumbling with the attempt to find short cut by Th. Muivah by starting talk with the Government of India.

As per record bloody clashed took place between cadres of NSCN after a group of the rebel group attempted to assassinate Th. Muivah on April 30, 1988.

The clashed was still coined as the bloodiest internal clash in the history of Naga insurgency.

It was this clash that the NSCN split and two groups – one led by SS Khaplang and another led by Th. Muivah and Isak .

The group led by Muivah and Isak had started initiating talk with the government of India by that time.

The political aspiration of the Naga martyred who had dream of a united Nagaland was again failed with the split.

Another setback of the NSCN-IM could be the bloodiest communal clashed between the Naga and the Kuki that happened in early 90s. Using its frontal body the United Naga Council (UNC) the NSCN-IM served ‘quit notice’ to the Kukis on November 22, 1992 to leave the so called Naga dominated villages of Manipur.

But the outcome is that Moreh, a border town of Imphal is now Zero Naga populated zone and with many of the Forced emigrated Kuki village resettled at Kangpokpi area, Kangpokpi eventually solidifies as Revenue District today.

The sad part is that the unity of the Hill peoples has been distorted and divided.

Multiple ethnic based militants were given birth adding more obstacles to the journey for a sovereign nation.

If one takes a look to the journey of the NSCN-IM, it is no wander to imagine the kind of politics that they had been playing with the people of the North East people.

In the name of fighting for a promise sovereign nation, the integrity of Nagas in Nagaland has been distorted, revolutionary fighters of the Naga have been forced to sacrifice due to internal clash of the NSCN, multiple ethnic based militant groups have been borne, and the love bondage among the various ethnic communities of the state of Manipur has been sabotaged and besides the trust of the people in demanding right to self determination has been thwarted with the latest development.

Above all the political identity of the erstwhile nation called Manipur, now a state of Manipur is in the verge of extinction if the RN Ravi’s statement regarding the Framework agreement (published in our yesterday’s issue) is accepted as the final solution.

It is still early to say , but somewhere the game of NSCN-IM being played for decades turn out as a tactful divisive politics for distorting the unity of the entire north East people, that will never come true.