NSCN (IM) rules out working with NNPGs, reaffirms commitment to Framework Agreement

DIMAPUR — Declaring that the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position are “poles apart,” the NSCN (IM) has ruled out any possibility of collaborating with rival Naga groups that, it claimed, have compromised the Naga political cause.

“It is unimaginable for NSCN to share a platform with the groups with contrasting stand on the Naga political solution. The treacherous politics of NNPGs is no longer hidden from others,” said NSCN (IM) Chairman Q Tuccu during his address commemorating the 10th anniversary of Framework Agreement.

Tuccu, in his statement emailed to the media on Sunday, alleged that the Working Committee of Naga National Political Groups (WC-NNPG), which signed the ‘Agreed Position’ with government of India in 2017, was created to weaken NSCN (IM)’s leadership and dilute the Naga people's struggle.

He maintained that NSCN (IM) could not engage with groups that accepted a political solution under the Indian Constitution, saying such a move would betray the sanctity of the Naga political identity.

“For the NSCN to work with NNPGs is a dangerous proposition. Because NNPGs propagate Naga political solution under the Constitution of India. Moreover, they are not the master of their own. Government of India agency hold the reins,” the statement read.

The NSCN (IM) observed the 10th anniversary of the Framework Agreement signed with the government of India on August 3, 2015. Tuccu termed the signing a ‘Red Letter Day’ in Naga history and reaffirmed the group's unwavering commitment to the accord.

“The core meaning of the Framework Agreement is the recognition of our sovereign political identity as a nation,” Tuccu said.

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He asserted that the agreement followed decades of struggle and political negotiations, including the declaration of Naga independence on August 14, 1947, and the plebiscite of 1951, where the Nagas overwhelmingly voted for independence.

He further stated that the signing of the Framework Agreement was the result of years of painstaking negotiations led by NSCN (IM) General Secretary Th. Muivah and witnessed by international observers and dignitaries during a high-profile ceremony in New Delhi.

Reiterating the group’s position, Tuccu said that the NSCN (IM) would not settle for a solution within the Indian constitutional framework.

“Nagas are also at crossroads between the choice of listening to the call of India to settle for Naga political solution under the banner of the Constitution of India and voice of historical conscience, the call of God-given history with our own constitution and flag with divine connection that identify the Nagas as a nation,” he stated.

He stressed that any agreement that fails to uphold the Naga flag and constitution cannot be accepted. “We are not going to give up what has been achieved through the Framework Agreement,” he added.

Calling for internal unity, Tuccu warned against divisive forces and reiterated the need for reconciliation based on shared history. He urged Naga people to remain resolute and spiritually grounded, reminding them of the group's guiding principle, ‘Nagalim for Christ.’

While reaffirming its commitment to peace and political dialogue, the NSCN (IM) maintained that it would not be party to any diluted settlement.

“After having given tireless efforts spanning several decades at the cost of blood sweats and tears, we cannot afford to waver but pledge allegiance to the Framework Agreement,” he stated.