GUWAHATI: Separatist group National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has claimed the Centre “officially acknowledged” that the integration of all Naga areas is a right of the Nagas.
“On the issue of integration of all Naga areas, the Government of India has officially acknowledged that it is the legitimate right of the Nagas and therefore, it shall be finalised accordingly,” Muivah, also the “Ato Kilonser” (prime minister) of NSCN-IM, said in his speech during the celebration of 77th “Naga Independence Day” at the outfit’s council headquarters “Hebron” on Monday.
Besides Nagaland, the Nagas have sizeable populations also in neighbouring Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar. The demand for the Naga national flag and Naga constitution are believed to be the hurdles in the solution to their political issue. However, Muivah said there was no ambiguity on the issue.
“The flag and constitution are naturally inseparable from the sovereignty of a people. It is universally accepted truth that the flag and constitution are constituent parts of sovereignty. There is no ambiguity about it. The Indian leaders understand it too. They must take the stand to speak the truth,” the NSCN-IM leader said in his speech.
He said the Nagas are sovereign people who have been living in their own land from time immemorial. “They are not begging for a piece of land from others. They have every right to build their own nation-state,” Muivah categorically stated, adding this should not be viewed as aggression as the movement is all about defending the inherent sovereign right of the Nagas and their land.
After 18 years of talks, the Centre and NSCN-(I-M) had signed the historic Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015, on the recognition of the unique history and sovereignty of the Nagas.