GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign drew a seesaw counterview in the Naga-majority hills of Manipur. As the stalemate in the Naga peace process continues, the Nagas hoisted the “Naga national flag” and organised programmes at many villages in the Naga areas of Manipur on Sunday to celebrate the “Naga Independence Day”.
On August 14, 1947, the extremists of the Naga National Council had proclaimed independence from British rule. It was an attempt to be seen as separate from the Indian nation. Photos and videos of Sunday’s Naga I-Day celebration in Manipur went viral on social media. The Nagas have a sizeable population in the state.
In Ukhrul district, which is the birthplace of several top leaders of major rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) including the outfit’s chief negotiator in the peace talks Thuingaleng Muivah, people celebrated the day by hoisting the Naga national flag across villages.
Some Naga organisations had asked the Naga villages to hoist the Naga flag in the morning of August 14 to mark the day. In neighbouring Nagaland, the Naga flag was hoisted here and there, including at the designated camps of the insurgent groups, but the Indian national flag was way more visible.
Meanwhile, the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM) criticised Manipur’s BJP-led government for its alleged “blanket order” to hoist the Indian national flag on August 15.