'Nagas not born to be ruled by others'
NSCN(IM) leader Muivah has hardened his stand on Greater Nagaland
By Nitin A. Gokhale
Guwahati
Standing Firm: Muivah at a reception in Nagaland
Talks with the Centre have hit a dead-end. Muivah has said the ball is in the government's court now
Less than six months after he made reconciliatory noises, Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), has warned that Nagaland may slide into violence once again since talks with the Centre have not met expectations. "The worst may come. Be prepared for any eventuality," he told supporters last week in Dimapur, returning to Nagaland after a three-month stay in New Delhi.
The message was clear: Negotiations with the group of ministers have not gone on the lines the outfit expected. Muivah told cadres it was up to the government to make the next move. "If there is political will, they can solve it. The ball is in their court," he said.
The government is however unlikely to take a decision soon since the nscn's main demand of integrating Naga-inhabited areas, currently spread over Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, is almost impossible to meet given the opposition to the proposal in these states.
Officials fear that giving in to the demand would set the stage for an independent Naga homeland or lead to bloodshed as other ethnic groups would violently oppose the move. But Muivah is adamant: "We should know our rights and our freedom. Nagas are not born to be ruled by others," he said.
The change in mood in the NSCN(IM) camp follows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent statement that a lasting solution to the Naga problem is not yet in sight.
The NSCN(IM) has been observing a ceasefire with the government since August 1997. Muivah and NSCN(IM) Chairman Issac Chisi Swu had arrived in Nagaland officially after 37 years last December amid hope that the half-a-century old Naga problem could be on the threshold of a solution. Non-violence and reconciliation were the buzzwords then. Muivah, the underground fighter who trekked to China in the 1960s, was clear that people's support to the Naga cause was crucial and that any solution would have to be found by peaceful means.
"The Indian government has assured us of an honourable solution. It has to come through peaceful means because violence cannot bring solution. This is a crucial moment in our history," were his words. Today, however, Muivah is downcast and depressed.
NSCN(IM) leader Muivah has hardened his stand on Greater Nagaland
By Nitin A. Gokhale
Guwahati
Standing Firm: Muivah at a reception in Nagaland
Talks with the Centre have hit a dead-end. Muivah has said the ball is in the government's court now
Less than six months after he made reconciliatory noises, Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), has warned that Nagaland may slide into violence once again since talks with the Centre have not met expectations. "The worst may come. Be prepared for any eventuality," he told supporters last week in Dimapur, returning to Nagaland after a three-month stay in New Delhi.
The message was clear: Negotiations with the group of ministers have not gone on the lines the outfit expected. Muivah told cadres it was up to the government to make the next move. "If there is political will, they can solve it. The ball is in their court," he said.
The government is however unlikely to take a decision soon since the nscn's main demand of integrating Naga-inhabited areas, currently spread over Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, is almost impossible to meet given the opposition to the proposal in these states.
Officials fear that giving in to the demand would set the stage for an independent Naga homeland or lead to bloodshed as other ethnic groups would violently oppose the move. But Muivah is adamant: "We should know our rights and our freedom. Nagas are not born to be ruled by others," he said.
The change in mood in the NSCN(IM) camp follows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent statement that a lasting solution to the Naga problem is not yet in sight.
The NSCN(IM) has been observing a ceasefire with the government since August 1997. Muivah and NSCN(IM) Chairman Issac Chisi Swu had arrived in Nagaland officially after 37 years last December amid hope that the half-a-century old Naga problem could be on the threshold of a solution. Non-violence and reconciliation were the buzzwords then. Muivah, the underground fighter who trekked to China in the 1960s, was clear that people's support to the Naga cause was crucial and that any solution would have to be found by peaceful means.
"The Indian government has assured us of an honourable solution. It has to come through peaceful means because violence cannot bring solution. This is a crucial moment in our history," were his words. Today, however, Muivah is downcast and depressed.
An Indian official said the NSCN(IM)'s frustration with the
latest talks in New Delhi, which have dragged on for more than four
months, was unlikely to cause a breakdown of the truce. "It will
be difficult for them to call off the ceasefire all of a sudden,
because their cadres are confined to designated camps under our
supervision," officials point out.
May 28 , 2005
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