On this historic day, I extend my greetings to you all on my
own behalf and also on behalf of all the ranks and files of the NNC/FGN. At the
very outset I give all Honour and Glory to our Almighty God who has made all
things possible.
Today, the 16th of May occupies an epochal day in our
Nation’s history, the day when our forebears with unity of purpose and clarity
of conviction, exhibited the Nagas’ collective will to the world, an
affirmation of the Nagas will to live as a free people, as a Nation among the
Nations of the world. It was on this day, the Naga National Council (NNC),
under the leadership of Dr. A.Z. Phizo, the fourth president of NNC, conducted
the historic voluntary Plebiscite. A remarkable feature of the Naga Plebiscite
was the overwhelming 99.9% in favour of Naga independence with the affirmation
that: We are not Indians, nor shall we submit to the dominion of the Indian
state. A. Z. Phizo, articulating the depth of this conviction, wrote: “This plebiscite
is the voice of a people who know who they are. We are a nation; we have always
been a nation”. This declaration was not a protest—it was a proclamation. It
was not a cry of rebellion—it was the calm, unshakable voice of the Nagas
claiming our own nation.
The Plebiscite is not a relic of the past, but it is one of
the pillars, a cornerstone upon which our struggle for dignity and nationhood
lie. It marked the moment when our predecessors, with resolute clarity,
demarcated the boundary between authenticity and falsehood, between cultural
self-hood and imposed identity, between sovereign nation and political
subjugation.
The Indian state has often tried to rewrite our narrative,
to brand us as secessionists or insurgents. But let us be clear: We are not
seceding from India, because we were never a part of it. We are not an internal
issue. We are a nation, sovereign by right with a separate history and a
distinct identity.
The Naga Plebiscite was not conducted under the pressure of
a political party nor was it orchestrated by any foreign hand. It was the
collective will of the Nagas to live as a free people, grounded in our ancient
traditions of self-governance, tribal democracy. It emerged deeply rooted in
the soil of our homeland—from our elders, our youth, our women, our villages.
It was voluntary, peaceful, and undeniable.
India has never been able to morally, legally or politically
invalidate the Plebiscite of 1951. Instead, it chose the path of denial—denial
backed by military occupation, constitutional deception, and the forced
accession of Naga areas through instruments we never signed. Let us not forget:
Nagas did not sign the Indian Constitution. We did not accept the Indian Union.
We did not surrender our Sovereignty.
But truth comes with a price. The Nagas have paid a heavy
price in blood and tears for the Plebiscite. We have endured a prolonged and
violent military campaign marked by severe human rights violations; our
villages burnt; our women dishonoured, our elders tortured; our youth hunted.
Yet through all this, we did not break. We endured because
the spirit of the Plebiscite lived on in us. We fought not to conquer, but to
exist. We did not fight because we hated others, but because we love our land.
To this day, the NNC remains unequivocal: the Naga nation
shall not compromise its intrinsic identity for the sake of transitory
expedience. The Naga Plebiscite of 1951 stands as a historical definitive and
non-replicable act of the Naga people’s will. It was, and remains, the singular
and supreme expression of our people’s sovereign voice—an act imbued with moral
clarity and political finality.
The voice of a free nation, once unequivocally declared and
internationally witnessed, should not be a subject to expiration nor contingent
upon political convenience. We are a people bound by a covenant—a nation whose
existence was anchored in a solemn commitment. The Plebiscite of 1951 was not
merely a political expression, but a consecrated covenant, binding past,
present, and future generations in a shared affirmation of our sovereign will
and nation’s integrity.
As we retrospect on this historic Plebiscite Day, we must
also engage in introspection. No struggle can prevail if it is fractured from
within. The most profound homage we can render to the spirit of 1951 is the
pursuit of unity—a unity that transcends tribal affiliations, territorial
delineations, and generational divides. The Indian state has historically
sustained its dominion through strategies of division and fragmentation; it finds
comfort in our discord, yet it falters in the face of our solidarity.
We must recall with clarity that the Plebiscite was not the
mandate of a singular tribe, but it is the shared patrimony of all Nagas. In
honouring the legacy, we are called to rise above parochial disputes, personal
ambitions, and the artificial constructs that seek to divide us.
Let no political frontier or militarised boundary sever what
divine providence and historical consciousness have irrevocably united. As we
chart our path forward, let us renew our collective vow: that no Naga shall be
forsaken, no Naga voice shall be suppressed, and no inch of Naga homeland shall
be relinquished.
Throughout our nation’s journey, we have consistently
affirmed that Nagaland was consecrated to the Almighty God. The Plebiscite of
1951 was not merely a political milestone—it was also a profound spiritual
testament. It embodied our collective act of submission to divine sovereignty
and moral truth, and our unwavering refusal to yield to falsehood and
illegitimacy. As inheritors of that sacred legacy, we are called to persevere
along this divinely guided path, with fidelity, conviction, and an unshakable
commitment to the truth that defines our nation’s identity.
Let the world know that the Naga people are not lost. We are
not forgotten. We are not defeated. We are rising again, and forever.
As dawn breaks upon this historic day, may the spirit of
unity resound across every Naga household, every village, and every hilltop,
echoing the timeless declaration that has guided our people:
We are a Nation. We are One. We are Free.
May the enduring legacy of the 1951 Plebiscite continue to
inspire our hearts and illuminate the path towards our collective future.
