NSCN/GPRN flays move to remove 'any Naga tribe'
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 15 2021:
NSCN/GPRN has expressed strong condemnation over alleged illegal and imprudent move by the Government of India to erase the word 'Naga' in the Naga areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
In a release, the Naga armed group accused GOI, in connivance with Arunachal government and some corrupt Naga leaders, of planning to "remove 'any Naga tribe' and recognise Tangsa, Tutsa, Nocte and Wancho as separate identities under her constitution" and termed the move as "a blatant insult to the on-going Naga struggle and clearly indicates that India has wilfully undermined and ignored the legitimate right, identity and history of the Naga people".
"For thousands of years, Nagas have been proudly and peacefully settling in their present land in the so-called states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam and eastern Myanmar.
They had never known foreign power till the British set foot on their land in the early 1830s and fought tooth and nail to defend every inch of their country.
After the British left in 1947, both India and Burma applied the same colonial policies and forcibly entered and occupied the Naga country which led to an armed confrontation till today," NSCN said.
It continued, "Only pages of our history know how much the Nagas have suffered and sacrificed to defend our sovereign birth right from foreign invaders.
The world also knows that the Naga issue is a case of invasion and not the internal problem of any country.
India is constantly adopting deceptive means and playing political gimmicks to disintegrate Nagas in the name of development to suit her purposes.
This smear campaign to divert the world's attention from the core Naga issue will be counter-productive" .
"India's continual refusal to honour and recognise the legitimate Naga cause is a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions and also questions her solemn commitment to international laws," the group added.
"The word 'Naga' is what literally binds Nagas together as one people and we will never give up for anything in the world.
As much as NSCN/GPRN opposes India's hegemony, we will continue to reject and fight all of her discriminatory laws in our country," it asserted, adding, "Every Naga tribe has a special responsibility to come together and denounce such divisive move which is a grave danger to our ongoing struggle".
NSCN then warned, "All those Naga MLAs and leaders who supported the illegal bill will be held accountable and will be labelled as anti-Naga" .