Indisputable right the Nagas have is that Nagas are not Indians: Adinno Phizo

EMN
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 4

Against the backdrop of the NSCN (IM)’s “framework agreement” deal with New Delhi, the Naga National Council headed by Adinno Phizo, has reminded that the “indisputable right the Nagas have is that Nagas are not Indians and Nagaland is not Indian territory.”
A press statement from the outfit on Tuesday stated that the NNC was the “guardian of Nagaland” and that no Nagas should be confused about the Naga national stand. “The Naga National Council (NNC) is not a political party. It is not a government. It is the ultimate national institution of the Nagas. As such, every Naga has a responsibility to uphold the Naga National Council,” it stated.
“The Naga National Council was formed on February 2, 1946 to hold the Naga people together in one platform as there was no central authority prior to this.

After this, whenever the occasion arose, the NNC began to speak for the Naga people. In May, 1947 the emerging modern India sent her delegation of the Constituent Assembly of India to Kohima and met the NNC members, and made an offer to the Nagas to join the Union of India. The offer was refused.
“And then in June 1947, the ten-year agreement was given by the Indian representatives. NNC agreed with modification for 10 years but India broke off its promise with NNC. And before Great Britain handed over her power to modern India, the Naga representatives declared Naga Independence on August 14, 1947, a day ahead of modern India.”
It stated that, AZ Phizo, on becoming the president of NNC in 1950 immediately began to direct the course of NNC into a political consciousness and brought all regions (tribes) together as a nation. He next took a national referendum, because modern India was alleging that only a few educated Nagas were talking about their independence, it stated.
“Therefore, a national plebiscite was conducted on May 16, 1951 by giving a choice to the people to decide whether to stay independent or join India. The result was 99.9 percent not to join India. And he also brought in our Eastern Nagas to join the mainland and established the Federal Government of Nagaland on March 22, 1956.”