A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 23
As a potential offshoot of the secrecy that continues to surround the content(s) of the “framework agreement” signed between New Delhi and NSCN (IM) on August 3 last year, five other “Naga political groups” on Tuesday asserted that “outsiders” would not be allowed to determine the destiny of the Nagas of Nagaland, and that the state of Nagaland and its people should be excluded “while creating Nagalim.”
These declarations were made at a meeting here in Dimapur of leaders and representatives of the GPRN/NSCN (Khole/Kitovi), NNC/FGN (Singnya/Zhopra), NNC (Royim/NAGI), NNC (Kiumukam/Hangping) and NNC (Temjenyanger/Hozheto).
The leaders, who spoke on behalf of their respective organizations, were also unanimous in their disapproval of the recent trip of the Parliamentary Working Committee (PWC) of the Nagaland Joint Legislator’s Forum (JLF) on Naga Political Issue to Delhi.
“Instead of seeking the will of the people through consultations and deliberations, or instead of finding a political space to discourse and consult the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) for seeking a political solution, or instead of seeking clarity and transparency of the framework agreement that may decide the future of the Naga people, they are ignorantly and unabashedly trying to seek the support of Indian political leaders,” read a joint statement from the five groups.
According to Zhopra Vero of NNC/FGN, the creation of the PWC is highly suspicious. “We are very alarmed by the action of the PWC. We want to ask the PWC members what have you sacrificed for the people and the land so far?”
He said that the PWC members should be ashamed of themselves by Sonia Gandhi’s reported refusal to give a “blank cheque of support” on the ground that she was not privy to the contents of the framework agreement.
Kitovi Zhimomi of GPRN/NSCN (KK) was also withering in his dismissal of the PWC. “Without knowing the contents of the agreement they are blindly seeking support for it. And without even consulting the true stakeholders, they went to Delhi. We will never accept it.”
Kitovi also asserted that “outsiders” cannot decide the future of the Naga people. “We will oppose any such attempts till the end,” he stated.
On behalf of NNC, V Nagi said that “we are the people from the mainland and we are the majority.” Any settlement without the consent of the “mainland majority” would never be accepted, he declared.
He also stated that the “majority (of the people) are united” and that it was only because of the “adamant” stance of “a particular political group” that the whole of Naga people were not united. “This is our unity (the gathering). We may take some time to work out the modalities but we are all agreeable to unite.”
Both Temjenyanger Aier and Kiumukum Yimchunger, representing their respective NNC (non-accordist) groups, stated that they do not accept the framework agreement. They reminded that they legislators were elected “for development of the state” and not to cause division between friends and brothers.
In the joint statement, they also said that for the PWC to “blindly propagate” the framework agreement was an “intrusion” into the Naga national question unequipped and ill prepared. “We therefore condemn the activities of the PWC and interpret this initiative as anti-thesis to the PWC aims and objectives. A sell-out of their own principles. Should there be a fallout from their sinister campaign, it shall be their own earned responsibility.”
They asked the PWC to clarify whether the contents of the framework agreement were available to them, who endorsed them to “take the name of stakeholders when no consultations were initiated at any level and to “clearly define” how the agreement would benefit the people of Nagaland.
