“Government of India is interpreting the framework agreement to suit its own escape routes. They are only good in flattering the agreement as testified by history,” said NSCN (I-M) source.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
NSCN (I-M) on Tuesday said that attempts to bring a “solution” to the protracted Naga political issue should be based on respecting what has been agreed upon. However, the group lamented that the government of India was far from honouring the ‘framework agreement’.
For many decades now, the sources close to the Government of India had implicitly assured to the Naga people that a “solution” would be brought before Christmas almost every year. A highly placed NSCN (I-M) source told this correspondent that “Christmas is the occasion for joy and giving but a solution remains elusive when it comes to the Naga political issue”. The source also added that it would remain the same (long pending) as there is no “commitment and sincerity” towards Naga solution by respecting the ‘framework agreement’.
“Government of India is interpreting the framework agreement to suit its own escape routes. They are only good in flattering the agreement as testified by history,” the source added. It was informed that the collective leadership has already issued statement on the “framework agreement and which it firmly stands by”. It may be mentioned that the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the NSCN (I-M) had recently said that through the “framework agreement”, that the Government of India has recognized the unique history and position of the Nagas.
NSCN (I-M) general secretary Th Muivah; chairman Q Tuccu and vice-chairman Tongmeth Wangnao, have also stated that by “unique history”, it meant that the Nagas have the history of “Independence” as the Nagas have neither been a part of the Union of India nor that of Burma
(Myanmar) nor any other powers by “consent or by conquest”. The collective leadership also said that by “unique position”, it meant that the position and situation of “Nagalim” is political and that it was a case of “invasion” on “Nagalim” by India and not law and order problem.
NSCN (I-M) contends that that the “letter and spirit” of the Framework Agreement also meant that “both sides” have understood each other’s respective positions and are cognizant of the “universal principle” that in democracy, sovereignty lies with the people. It is an “acknowledged fact” that the sovereignty of “Nagalim” lies with the Naga people, the outfit added. NSCN (I-M) had been arguing that the Government of India had admitted the historical fact that the “sovereign Naga people” had not accepted the Indian Constitution, and they do not accept it. The Government of India had also acknowledged the position of the Nagas and appreciated the intricacies of the Indian system during the tenure of the then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh who proposed the option of solving the problem on the basis of the principle of “shared-sovereignty”. The framework agreement was subsequently signed under the leadership of the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 3, 2015.
“By shared-sovereignty”, it meant that the sovereign Indian people and the sovereign Naga people would share a “sovereign power” in some areas as defined in the competencies. With recognizing the national identity of the Nagas, and admitting that the Nagas had rejected the “Union of India” offered to them by the constituent Assembly of India, the government of India proposed for an enduring “inclusive new relationship” of peace co-existence of the two entities. The group further went on to add that by “Inclusive”, it meant that it embraces all Nagas wherever they are including all the political groups, fostering new relationship basing on the “Framework Agreement”, co-existing of the two entities—the Indian and the Nagas. “It was a common knowledge known to the Indian leaders too that “flag and constitution” are constituent parts of sovereignty and hence there should be no ambiguity about it”, said NSCN (I-M).