Nagaland: Fate of Framework Agreement uncertain, says NSCN (IM)

The 2015 Framework Agreement between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) to finalise the Naga Peace Accord is now proving to be a major stumbling block in reaching an agreement between the two parties and finding a permanent solution to the long-standing Naga issue.

NSCN (IM) president Q Tuccu on March 21 admitted that the fate of the Framework Agreement is hanging in balance as the commitment of the government of India “fluctuates wildly every now and then”.

“We have made our stand loud and clear to the government of India on the issue of the Naga flag and constitution which are indispensable and inviolable parts of the recognized sovereignty and unique history of the Nagas.

Also Read: Nagaland: NSCN demands release of all Naga political prisoners held hostage in India and Myanmar

“We are simply waiting for how the government of India will pick up the threads of Indo-Naga political talks with correct narrative and not for its own convenience,” Tucccu said while addressing the 44th Naga Republic Day celebration at the NCSN (IM) council headquarters at Hebron.

According to him, the politics of “hypocrisy” and “flattery” is raising its ugly heads as the government of India is again looking for an escape route to dilute the political significance of the Framework Agreement.

Tuccu alleged that the absurdity of the situation regarding the Indo-Naga political talks is the making of the government of India as its commitment to the Framework Agreement turned unsavoury with each passing day.

“All the way it is all bluff and bluster. No seriousness,” he exclaimed.

“This led us to the fact that the government of India is planning clandestinely to strike the Nagas with all its state machinery. Thus, there is trust deficit on the part of the government of India,” he said.

Asking what is to be done in the event of failure of the talks, Tuccu said, “We have to work out a survival strategy. We must live and this final showdown must be a battle to decide our future.”

Noting that the fight is going to be tough, he said “ours is not a contest of strength, it is a matter of right and wrong, just and unjust”.

He stressed that it is for the government of India to put its acts together and get back the lost ground. “The ball is, therefore, in the court of the government of India,” he added.

Tuccu also said despite the callous manner of handling the Naga issue by the government of India, the NSCN has carried forward the talks with total commitment and conviction, stating that no sacrifice is too great when it comes to defending the historical and political rights of the Nagas.

Further, he said the world at large is watching how the government of India handles the Framework Agreement because it has to do with the high-sounding speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how he proclaimed before the world that he had solved the longest insurgency problem in Southeast Asia.