Nagalim & Nagas were Never Part of India, Claims NSCN Leader

Kohima, March 13, 2020:

Nagalim or Greater Nagaland was never a part of India nor were Nagas Indians, said Collective Leadership Member, National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) Lt. Gen. (Retd) VS Atem.

In a detailed statement on the history of Nagas and the importance of Nagalim, Atem stated, “Prior to 1947, the Nagas had no affinity with the Indians on any aspect of life. Therefore, Nagalim is neither a part of Indian territory nor Nagas were Indians.”

Nagalim consists of all the Naga-inhabited areas of neighbouring Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and some portions of Myanmar, which the NSCN considers to be the rightful homeland of the Nagas. The objective of the NSCN is to unite all the Nagas inhabiting these areas.

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Atem said that forefathers of the Nagas had migrated to Nagalim between 2500 BC-750 BC. “We are the first inhabitants of Nagalim… There should be no doubt or confusion that only the Nagas are indigenous people in the land of the ancestors. Today, it is unfortunate to point out that Nagaland through legislation has distorted the indigenous status of the Nagas by giving undue recognition to the late comers like Kacharis, Dimasas, Garos, and others from India like Bengalis, Biharis and Marwaris who came to Nagaland as traders,” he added.

Giving a detailed account of the history of the Nagas, Atem said, “The Naga forefathers, actively resisted against the Ahoms, the Burmese, the Dimasas, the Manipuris, and the Kacharis during 663 to 1818 AD. The Nagas had their struggle of resistance against the British rule for (one hundred fifteen) 115 years i.e, from 1832-1947.”

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The NSCN leader accused the Government of India of distorting historical facts by claiming that it had inherited the Naga areas from the British Government. “But, such a claim is unfounded. If the claim of India is correct, then the Nagas were living as slaves to the British. As such, the claim of India holds no water. It is purely a case of forcible occupation. There are hundreds of evidences of facts that I need not go into details. If any organization hold the view contrary to this position, such an organization cannot represent the Naga people. Nagas are unfortunately divided through the machination and manipulation of the Government of India agencies. I say this because certain organizations are claiming to be fighting for the issues of the Nagas of Nagaland state only. This is very unfortunate. And this is nothing less than an act of utter disrespect to our national freedom fighters who have laid down their lives in hundreds of thousands,” opined Atem.

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The Collective Leadership Member of NSCN reiterated the significance of the Naga National Flag and Constitution that they have been demanding from the GoI through the Naga Peace Agreement. “We don’t claim that this agreement is 100% victory of the Nagas over India or vice versa. This is a win-win solution of the prolonged negotiation. But, until and unless the Government of India recognizes the Naga national flag and Naga Constitution out of the agreement as inseparable from the would-be agreement, there would be no solution because that would be tantamount to deviating from the principle of Framework Agreement. Solution without flag and constitution can never be honorable,” said Atem.

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