NSCN-IM: ‘New Relationship’ under FA is recognition & acceptance of Naga sovereignty

DIMAPUR, July 26 (NNN): Amidst media reports about the reported invitation of the Government of India to the NSCN-IM to resume talks, the latter said that “simply inviting the NSCN to New Delhi for peace talks without going through the detoxification process will not help expedite the Naga political solution”.
In a press statement, the NSCN-IM said that the Government of India signed two agreements with the Nagas, i.e. the Framework Agreement and the Agreed Position. According to the NSCN-IM, these two agreements have divided the Naga people. “If the Government of India is genuinely sincere to go for an early solution, why is it pursuing two agreements for one people and one common issue?,” the NSCN-IM asked. The NSCN-IM also said that these two agreements are parallel in nature, one is within the Indian constitution and the other is outside the purview of the Indian constitution. “With this unwarranted policy, the Government of India is testing the nerve of the Nagas and delaying the whole process,” it added.
The NSCN-IM then said that it is time for the Government of India “to make her stand very clear on these two agreements and which one is to be used for the final agreement”. The NSCN-IM further asked, “Should the legitimacy of the Framework Agreement as proclaimed before the world by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi be put in the bargaining level with another agreement which was signed surreptitiously?”
According to the NSCN-IM, the Nagas are reeling with utter confusion about the Indo-Naga peace talk and subsequently started expressing their total discontent pointing accusing fingers on the very people who brought the ceasefire and the peace process. It also said that some people misconstrued that the peace talk is getting delayed because of the flag and constitution issues. “Whereas it is not the case because the flag and the constitution are the component ingredients embraced in the Framework Agreement,” it claimed.
The NSCN-IM then clarified what is all about and how on the issue. “It is on record of the Government of India having recognized the uniqueness of the Naga history and its position that the Nagas were never part of Indian Union either by conquest or consent,” the NSCN-IM stated. “Naturally, how can a Naga national movement be without a flag and a constitution?” it asked.
The NSCN-IM then said that, having granted cognizance of the universal principle that in democracy the sovereignty lies with the people, it should be noted that the Framework Agreement acknowledged and accepted the declaration of the Naga Independence Day on August 14, 1947 and the Plebiscite of 1951. “Henceforth, the flag and the constitution are the embodiment of the Framework Agreement”, it added.
“Sharing of sovereign powers” as mentioned in the Framework Agreement is a recognition and acceptance of the Naga sovereignty, according to the NSCN-IM. It is not the case of the Indian constitutional provision granting power division, it also said. “Then, how can one say there is no flag or constitution?” it asked. The NSCN-IM added that every sovereign nation has its own flag and constitution.
According to the NSCN-IM, “new relationship” (as mentioned in the Framework Agreement) is the declaration of a new arrangement which means that there cannot be a settlement within the existing Indian constitution. “Therefore, ‘new relationship’ is agreed upon”, it added.
“Coexistence” defined two people to coexist with understanding and conditional arrangement, the NSCN-IM also said.
The NSCN-IM further said that the “two entities” defined two separate entities or as two separate people. “How can one say that there is no flag and constitution in the Framework Agreement?,” it further asked.
The statement then said, “The irony is that this matter was already resolved long back but the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) factor came in between questioning how there can be two flags and two constitutions. The manifesto of the RSS/Hindutva sharply contradicted the principle agreement of the Framework Agreement. The actual point of delay started from here.”
In the official talks, according to the NSCN-IM, neither RN Ravi nor AK Mishra ever says that there is no flag and constitution in the Framework Agreement. “Ironically, the twists and turns of the flip-flopping habitual betraying character of the Government of India comes up to take the center stage and sows the seeds of confusion in order to disown the Framework Agreement,” the NSCN-IM alleged. It added, “Certainly, the Government of India is entirely responsible for the delay”. According to the NSCN-IM, the Nagas have had enough of the Government of India’s overly pretentious appearance on the Indo-Naga peace talk.