Urges AR and NNPGs to restrain from provoking each other till the existence of Indo-Naga ceasefire
Dimapur, May 8 (EMN): The Naga Hoho has expressed disapproval of a statement made my BJP Nagaland unit president and minister for Higher and Technical Education, Temjen Imna Along at a recent event. The body is against the minister’s statement that “Nagas are Indians and Nagas are proud to be part of this great country.”
According to an update from DIPR issued on May 4, Along made the statement at the Inter-government College Concert “Constellation Music with the Stars” held at Kohima College on May 3.
“The Naga Hoho is of the considered opinion that this statement of Mr Imna Along needs to be censured, if not, posterity would blame us. Over and above, we would be doing injustice to the thousands of Naga martyrs who have laid down their lives for the cause of sovereign Naga nation. It is also impudence to the rest of the Naga nationalist who are still alive and striving with the best of their ability to bring an honourable political solution to the Indo-Naga political issue (sic),” read the statement from the Naga Hoho.
While maintaining that Mahatma Gandhi’s statement “Nagas have every right to be Independent” would be an apt response to the minister’s assertion, the body stated that his statement cannot be the voice of the entire Naga people.
The Naga Hoho also stated that it has taken serious note of the recent stand-off between the Assam Rifles and the NSCN/GPRN at Sihai in Ukhrul district of Manipur.
“We fail to understand as to why the Assam Rifles is provoking the situation of peaceful co-existence from time to time when people are yearning for peace. Chasing out the Nagas from their own homeland and burning down their camps will not bring peaceful solution. The ongoing peace process would collapse if such provocative attitudes continue by the Assam Rifles and therefore the Naga Hoho urge upon both the Assam Rifles and the NNPGs to restrain from provoking each other till the existence of Indo-Naga ceasefire,” read the statement.
