NSCN-IM reaffirms commitment to Naga sovereignty on 10th anniv of Framework Agreement

Dimapur (Nagaland), Aug 3 (PTI) Marking a decade since the signing of the Framework Agreement (FA) between the central government and the NSCN-IM, the organisation's Chairman Q Tuccu on Sunday reaffirmed the group’s “unwavering commitment to Naga sovereignty”.

Calling August 3, 2015, the day the pact was signed, a “Red Letter Day” for the Naga people, Tuccu said the agreement recognised the sovereign rights of the Naga people.

“We are not going to give up what has been achieved,” Tuccu declared while speaking at a commemorative event organised by the group, and stressed the importance of defending the sanctity of the agreement “at any cost.” He warned of internal and external threats to the Naga political struggle, criticising rival groups such as the Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (WC/NNPGs), accusing them of compromising Naga political identity by accepting a solution under the Indian Constitution.

The central government inked the Framework Agreement with NSCN(IM) in 2015 and a pact of Agreed Position with the WC-NNPGs two years later.

Tuccu alleged that the NNPGs are a “creation of the Government of India” intended to undermine the legitimacy of the NSCN’s leadership and the Framework Agreement.

“The FA and Agreed Position are poles apart, and we see no meeting point whatsoever,” he said, rejecting any collaboration with the NNPGs and reiterating the NSCN’s stance for a solution outside the framework of the Indian Constitution.

“We have to be resolute and prove our spirit of resilience to defend the Framework Agreement,” Tuccu said, calling on NSCN-IM cadres and the Naga public to remain united and vigilant against “divisive elements” that could derail the movement.

The Centre had declared the Naga talks with both groups concluded in October 2019.

While the NNPGs have expressed willingness to accept a “workable” solution and continue negotiations, the NSCN-IM has remained firm on its demands for a separate flag, constitution, and the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas, which has been rejected by the Centre.

This has delayed a final solution to the decades-old Naga Political Issue. PTI CORR NBS NN