Speech of Ino Zhopra Vero, Kedahge, FGN on Naga Independence Day

My dear countrymen & women,

It is a privilege and an honour to address you all on my own behalf and on behalf of the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) as well as on behalf of all the true Naga patriots on this historic day, the 14th day of August 2025, as the Nation celebrates the Naga Independence Day. It was on this day, the 14th day of August in 1947, that our pioneers and visionary leaders took the momentous decision to declare the Naga Independence, to proclaim the aspirations of the Naga people to the world. We are grateful to our Almighty God for the guidance, protection and sustenance throughout all these years of our struggle for an honourable existence and to earn a rightful place as a Nation among the Nations of the world.

The Naga struggle for independence is not a historical blunder or a historical accident. It is a miracle in history – a group of warring tribals, living in isolated and independent villages, came together to assert our historical and political rights. The Naga nation is not really our own making; we did not choose to be where we are today by our own wisdom and strength. Our nationhood, which was lying asleep for centuries, awakened under the divine guidance of God. The pioneers of our Naga national movement caught the vision of a Naga nation, amidst conflicts and isolation from each other then, and responded to their national call. With almost nothing but that vision, they fought together against all odds with undeterred faith. In turn, they received the united supports, prayers and goodwill of our people then. The spirit of nationalism was kindled even in the hearts of those living in the remotest parts of Naga lands under the leadership of the Naga National Council (NNC).

However, somewhere down the line, we lost the fire of that vision, the vision that united us yesterday. But by God’s grace, not all is lost. We are still here today and that matters. If the same vision could unite our people yesterday, I believe that there is a way to rise up again, to find our strength again. We need to rekindle that kind of vision and commitment today if we truly love our Naga identity and desire to live as free people and nation. We should take courage and pride in the fact that NNC till date remains the only Naga Political Institution to get the mandate of the Naga people to decide and determine the course of the Naga aspirations. We are not lost fighters, without hope or without legitimacy. 

Naga Nationalism in essence is a movement for the restoration of what is rightfully ours – our freedom, our land and our future. Nagas being fierce lovers of freedom and equality, our aspiration has always been for self determination. The political history of the Nagas first started with the resistance of the British colonizers and later with Indian imperialism. The Naga people for many decades have been fighting for a free homeland and resisting the oppressive occupational forces of India and Myanmar on our land ever since the British colonialists left the Indian sub-continent. Since the British Government remained silent on the Nagas’ right to self-determination at the time of its departure from the Indian subcontinent, the Naga National Council (NNC) after informing the top Indian leaders of that time, declared Naga Independence on 14th August 1947, a day ahead of India’s declaration of independence from British Rule. To augment and attest this declaration, the NNC conducted the Plebiscite on 16th May, 1951 wherein 99.9% voted for Sovereignty. And ever since its establishment, the Federal Government of Nagaland has always stood for the restoration of “the historical and political rights of the Nagas.” Our struggle is not a secessionist movement. Our struggle is against the enemy of freedom, democracy and humanity, the tyrannical forces which are trying to erase our rights, identity and history as a people. 

To fight against these forces that threaten and oppress us, the Federal Government of Nagaland  was formed on 22nd March 1956 at the first historic Tatar Hoho (then divided Nagaland under the British rule) jointly convened by the Naga National Council (representing the then Naga Hills District) and the Hongki Government (representing the Free Nagas). The Tatar Hoho unanimously ratified the Articles enshrined in the constitution, enabling the Nagas, thereafter to act with legal authority. 

The Nagas as a people are known for our culture of hard work, honesty and integrity. Our ancestors were honourable and trustworthy people and their words used to be their law. The British duly recognised the honour of our people and so despite several conflicts and agreements between the two entities, no written document was necessitated to formalise any agreements. We respected each other for what each was. The respect given to us helped us to maintain our identity and culture as honorable and noble people.

But something went wrong deeply when we encountered the Indian state. Their leaders lacked integrity and honour. They did not trust our integrity. Agreements have to be done on papers. Even so, they neither honoured our customs nor their promises. The first written agreement – the 9-Point Agreement (Hydari Agreement) never saw the light of day. It went into the dark and became symbol of betrayal of trust. That agreement was signed by none other than the tall leaders of the Indian state, Bordoloi and Hydari. This betrayal under one political umbrella; India has not even been serious about her commitments to the 16-Point Agreement on all important matters. Coming to the present, it also appears that the GoI has no intention of honouring either the ‘Framework Agreement’ of 3rd August 2015 signed with the NSCN (I-M) or the ‘Agreed Positions’ of 17th November 2017 signed with the NNPGs. It is for all this reason and more that our slogan has been this – honourable and acceptable solution! The slogan has a story behind.   

Over the years, our patience and tolerance, our unity and nationhood have been challenged time and again. We had hoped that India would live up to her world image as the largest democracy in the world by becoming a self-respecting and honourable country. We are also aware of a big threat to our identity and culture due to the imposition of cultural and religious practices of the overwhelming majority of the Indian population on our people which are alien to us. If not resisted, they have the potential to wipe out our identity and culture and of even our entire civilization. That is why we have now more reason to rise up and collectively fight as a people for our freedom and for our identity.

To get our history right, the slogan of our people originally was simply “independence” or “sovereignty”. Sovereignty was understood in its absolute sense, nothing less and nothing more and no confusion whatsoever. It was non-negotiable and non-shareable. A tacit implication was that any agreement short of sovereignty is dishonourable and unacceptable. This was the reason why even significant political milestones achieved through political negotiations like the 16-Point Agreement of 1960 and the Shillong Accord of 1975 were not recognised by the NNC then. These two agreements violated the national spirit which was expressed in the Memorandum of Naga Club to the Simon Commission in1929, the Naga Plebiscite of 1951 and the FGN Resolution of 1974 and not only brought about structural and ideological chaos and divisions but also much bloodshed amongst our own people.

It appears that many of own people in the present time are suffering from some kind of amnesia. Forgetting the past deceptions and betrayals by the Indian state, the honour and sacrifices of our people, many of our people are shouting for “Early Solution”. We can hear the shout of this slogan from the mouths of the respectable tribal bodies and members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. What is even more shocking is the fact that some NPGs are shouting this slogan from the top of their voice. However, we as the caretaker of the mandate of the Naga people passed down to us should remain cautious and remain steadfast. We should uphold the legacy and honour of our people, and not become guilty of betraying the sweat, the tears and the blood of those who fought for the Naga Dream in the yesteryears. A solution that offers mere “packages” without security of history, identity, advancement and self-determination is doomed and is certain to betray our sacred cause. Rather than strengthening and finding solution to the singular goal of the Naga people, it may give birth not only to power houses and institutions that will eventually destroy the Naga democracy and traditional institutions but also engender all modern forms of discriminations. 

The NNC-FGN will continue to work for the reconciliation of the Naga political groups and will continue to support the FNR’s endeavour to unite the Nagas as long as the path is charted by the wisdom that comes from God Almighty. Meetings, prayers and paper agreements have to be translated into collaborative actions. The Naga Political Groups have to learn to speak the same political language as one nation and one people. Collective wisdom has to be sought at all times and above all, we must learn to put the cause of the nation and the people as our priority. However, we cannot be a party to any vice that would go against our political vision.

As we celebrate this Historic Day, let us renew our spirit, our commitment and our dedication to the service of the nation. Let us also celebrate with pride and cherish the contributions and sacrifices of the patriots who selflessly chose to bear the hardships and sufferings in the pursuit of the noble cause and gave up their lives for the Nation. I join the nation in paying my homage to all those martyrs and patriots who have willingly sacrificed for our nation. I congratulate all the recipients of the awards and special commendations for their dedication and commitment. 

May we all march forward with our heads held high until we find our rightful place as a

Nation among the Nations of the world.

God bless us all. KUKNALIM!