Time to act on FA: NSCN-IM to GoI
Source: Chronicle News Service / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, August 02 2021:
The much-hyped Framework Agreement (FA) enters the 6th year without getting any positive response from the Government of India for the necessary follow up action to concretize into a solid official document as transitional arrangement for the final settlement of the Naga political issue, said NSCN-IM in a press release on Monday.
"Given the complexity of the issue, Naga people are, however, patient enough waiting for the Government of India to act upon its own commitment.
The ball is, therefore, in the court of the Government of India, and not with National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN)," the press note added.
Significantly, according to NSCN-IM, the Framework Agreement was the fruition of the gruelling rounds of discussions to set the In do-Naga political talks on firm footing in order to take the Naga issue for an honourable and acceptable solution to both the parties.
Now, the time has come again calling upon the Government of India to open the door for executing the Framework Agreement with all honesty and not resort to misinterpretation to suit its own convenience," the statement said.
"It may be recalled that a historic breakthrough was made on July 11, 2002 at Amsterdam (the Netherlands) talks by the Government of India and NSCN," it said, adding that that the Government of India represented by K Padmanabhaiah formally recognised the unique history and situation of the Naga people.
Significantly, this official recognition became a matter of political exigency as demanded by the situation, NSCN-IM further said.
It also said that the growing temperament of the Indo-Naga political talks brought both the parties to realise that the guts to face the realities are extremely essential to solve the problem of the magnitude of the Indo-Naga political issue.
"For the NSCN, the recognition of the unique history and situation of the Naga people means it recognizes the very principle that is indispensable to the real start of the political negotiation," the NSCN-IM said, while adding, "More importantly, any agreement that ignores the unique history of the Nagas will not lead to any constructive resolution".
Henceforth, according to NSCN-IM, the Indo-Naga political talk was taken up in a serious business-like manner.
NSCN-IM further said that it was after more than 10 years of negotiation following the official recognition of the unique history and situation of the Nagas when the talks reached a deadlock-like situation with no side willing to compromise as both the Indian and Naga leaders took their respective parallel stands never to meet whatsoever.
It further said that the stand of Government of was - 'solution within the parameters of the Indian Constitution and Union of India', whereas the stand of the Nagas was - 'nothing to do with India, nothing short of total independence and total sovereignty'.
"Finally, after a long series of talks, the Government of India proposed the Framework Agreement as a formula of win-win solution," said the NSCN-IM.
According to NSCN-IM, all the successive Prime Ministers of India understand that Nagas will not merge with the Union of India, but they are willing to coexist with the Union of India.
It further said that more than that, they are also well informed of it that the Nagas will not accept the Indian Constitution, though they are not opposed to sharing sovereign power with India.
According to the NSCN-IM, ultimately, when the Framework Agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 there was much jubilation among the RSS/BJP and other political leaders.
"Equally excited are the Naga people, the Nagas across Nagalim," NSCN-IM said.
Significantly, the Framework Agreement is the meeting point of the two sovereign peoples, the press release of NSCN-IM claimed.
According to NSCN-IM, sensible Nagas understand that this is one of the options where the Indians and Nagas can come closer to each other because it serves the purposes of both the parties.
"And therefore, it would be a great loss for them if they betray the Framework Agreement and prioritize the modified 16-Points Agreement.
And they will miss the golden chance of Naga solution that is honourable and acceptable to both India and Naga people," the NSCN-IM stated.
"But for the Nagas we have taken the stand to keep the pot boiling till the Framework Agreement is pushed ahead in a meaningful manner," it added.
NSCN-IM then said that the irony of the situation was apparent to everyone as the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi "is now being carefully watched if he will live up to his high-profile Framework Agreement speech".
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi said, "We have continued to look at each other through the prism of false perception and old prejudices.
The result was that connectivity between Nagaland and the rest of India remains weak across this divide", the press release quoted.
For all practical purposes, Narendra Modi, in order to find lasting Naga solution will have to look through the prism of the Framework Agreement and no other way, the statement further said.
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