Nagaland: NSCN-IM Accuses Centre of Reneging on Framework Agreement

In a statement, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) has come out sharply against the Government of India for sponsoring “destructive forces” to wreck the Framework Agreement which was signed between the Centre and the faction on August 3, 2015.

“The state of affairs on the ongoing Indo-Naga political talks as seen today is a matter of regret as rogue elements are pushing around with the blessing of the GOI targeting the destruction of Framework Agreement. Nowhere in the world had we witnessed such un-ethical political manoeuvre,” the group said in a statement issued late on Sunday.

The statement seems to cement rumours that negotiations of the Centre with NSCN-IM have come to a stalemate.

“The elements of perfidy, deceit, duplicity, double dealings and treachery had been planted by the government of India Intelligence agencies in the same manner when the state of Nagaland was created under the 16 Points Agreement,” it stated.

Indeed, a political dead-end has been around the corner for a year now. Last year, as reported by NewsClick, on the one hand, the state Assembly of August 3, 2021, adopted a unanimous resolution calling upon all Naga political groups to “make serious efforts towards unity and reconciliation” to reach an understanding with the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. On the other, on the same day, Nagaland witnessed a largely successful statewide 12-hour general strike called by the NSCN-IM to protest the Centre’s alleged “delay in fulfilling its commitment” to the peace process arrived at through the Framework Agreement.

It was reported then that the Centre’s interlocutor, who signed the 2015 Framework agreement, is now the Nagaland governor, which created a trust deficit. The NSCN-IM had earlier accused the interlocutor of deleting a keyword from the original 2015 Framework Agreement and sharing the modified version with other Naga groups, including the NNPGs (Naga National Political Groups), a conglomerate of seven different Naga groups.

The NCSN-IM has now asserted in the statement that the Naga people would not accept divisive policy being engineered by the Centre. It went on to allege that the convener of the working committee of NNPGs was escorted by Assam Rifles during his recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh to meet the Nagas of Tirap, Longding and Changlang. The Centre had also signed an “Agreed Position” with the NNPGs in November 2017.

The group maintained that such conduct engineered by the Union government is “more a nuisance than a catastrophe” which can be avoided if there is sincerity and democratic transparency on the latter’s side.

“Such manner of undermining Naga political issue resorting to the highly demeaning manner is the most annoying thing that keeps coming up at crucial stage of Naga political process. The NSCN and Naga people will not accept toxic divisive policy to repeat the past blunder,” the NSCN-IM added.